"⋯⋯⋯⋯."
Iride felt as if the thick fog clouding his mind was slowly clearing. His sharp reason returned, and the suppressed memories came flooding back.
What had happened?
Ah yes, he had uncovered the true nature of the fake mad mage.
Though he had sensed something was off about Mima's sudden appearance and prepared soldiers just in case, they were no match for the true nature of the monster that revealed itself.
Iride had been mentally dominated and ordered all available forces to kill the mad mage...
Ah.
"⋯⋯Oh goddess."
People tend to turn to gods in desperate times, and Iride found himself muttering the goddess’s name unconsciously. Where should he even begin to clean this mess up?
First, he needed to check if the Empire’s Swordmaster had been contacted.
The smaller forces, Mima could handle or evade, but the Swordmaster was different. Inevitably, the Violet Tower Leader would get involved, and that would lead to a massive incident within the Empire—an internal clash of high-level personnel.
To shake off the lingering fog in his head, Iride slapped his cheeks and rushed to open the door leading outside. First, he needed to gather his subordinates and take control. He needed loyal hands at his disposal.
And he needed to urgently contact his older sister. No matter how dangerous the fake mad mage was, surely he wouldn’t dare invade the royal palace, so it was best to arrange an emergency evacuation...
Thud.
As he opened the door, it only swung halfway before hitting something.
What was this? An attempt to imprison him? Iride poked his head out to check the obstruction, and what he saw was the mad mage himself, lying prostrate in a deep bow.
"⋯⋯⋯⋯."
"I'm terribly sorry."
"Is this real?"
"Yes, Your Highness. The fake Mima's rebellion has been dealt with."
No.
This couldn’t be trusted. The fake had already wreaked havoc.
This might be another ploy, with this mad mage pretending to be Mima, trying to manipulate him again. The previous mind control had been risky, as it could eventually wear off. But deceiving him purely and making him believe it was real? That was much safer.
Perhaps sensing the suspicion in Iride’s gaze, or misinterpreting it as a reprimand, the prostrate mad mage began to rub his hands together anxiously.
"This incident wasn’t something I started or intended, but since the doppelganger originated from me, I feel morally responsible. So, as a token of sincerity..."
"⋯⋯⋯⋯."
"Here is a little gift."
"...?"
The mad mage rummaged through his bag and pulled out various items. Iride looked at them, bewildered, as they were all bizarre, far from normal.
There was a bottle of perfume scented with rosemary.
A hyper-realistic portrait of Centra in a stylish outfit (like a bromide photo).
And even a slightly risqué photo collection of Centra.
"⋯⋯⋯⋯."
At first, Iride felt relieved.
Yes, this was the real mad mage. The same man who couldn’t help but cause trouble wherever he went. He was the genuine article.
If this had been the fake’s performance, Iride would’ve been morally obligated to let himself be fooled.
Then, the next emotion to rise within him was anger.
Dressing someone else’s woman in these kinds of outfits?
"You..."
"It’s not like that. The photo shoot was done exclusively by a female staff team, and if I had done it myself, it would’ve been a bit flashier. If it were up to me, I would’ve put her in a hotter swimsuit."
Had you done that, you’d be tasting the flames yourself. Iride glanced down at the Centra photo collection, curiosity starting to bubble up.
"So, you’re saying there’s a picture of her in a swimsuit inside this book...?"
"It’s what Centra wanted! After our last meeting, she mentioned how she wished for a gift to ease her loneliness. I thought long and hard about what would be a good choice, and after this big mess, I figured I’d also ask for forgiveness."
Thanks to the mad mage’s explanation, Iride’s anger was halved, and his curiosity about the contents of the photo book further diminished his wrath.
The next feeling to surface was his sense of duty as a prince. He was relieved the ordeal was over, but now he had to deal with the aftermath.
And, just at the right moment, the mad mage chimed in again.
"As for your subordinates, we managed to handle everything well. Just a few minor injuries. None of the citizens or the other noble soldiers were severely harmed."
"And the damage to the facilities?"
"They took a bit of a hit. But we’re using dark mages as free labor to fix everything."
"Why are dark mages involved?"
"Well, you see, what happened was──"
The mad mage enthusiastically began explaining, trying to shift the blame. Apparently, the dark mages had stolen fragments of his essence, creating the doppelganger. Meanwhile, Aisha (the newly renamed evil goddess) had been working as a double agent, infiltrating the situation. It was a lot of back-and-forth.
After listening to the whole explanation, it made sense.
After all, the reason Mima had splintered and scattered in the first place was due to his efforts to prevent a catastrophe in the Holy City. For that, forgiveness was well-deserved.
And... well, he did say the capital’s facilities took a hit, but how bad could it really be?
It was a battle between illusion mages, after all. How much collateral damage could there be? A fireball here, a few spikes rising from the ground there...
"Ah, ah."
Iride walked down the corridor and, with a light heart, drew back the curtain.
"⋯⋯⋯⋯."
And there he saw the aftermath left by the beautiful five-part symphony of 『Bloodstorm』, 『Gravity Manipulation』, 『Massive Fire Serpent』, 『Dragon Scales』, and 『Inferno Angel』.
The scorching heat had melted the pavement into a warped, molten mess. The ground was upturned, revealing the earth beneath, as though an earthquake had torn through it. Buildings looked like they had been sucked into some powerful gravitational force, twisted beyond recognition.
The crowning jewel was the clock tower. It had stood tall before Iride was mind-controlled, but now, for some reason, it was leaning at a 45-degree angle.
Iride’s head—and his mood—also leaned precariously.
"Explain yourself."
"I... I already explained it all..."
"No—it's not enough. It’s far from enough to ease my anger. Convince me why I shouldn’t beat you senseless right now, on the spot!"
"I swear it wasn’t me! All I did was try to clean up the mess, AAAAAHHH! Stop hitting me with the feather duster! AAAAAAAH!"
The mad mage was thrashed thoroughly.
===============================================================
We decided to remain in the capital until everything was fully cleaned up.
There were still the dark mages who had emerged from this incident, and we needed to turn them over, not to mention use them as unpaid labor to help restore the city. There was a lot of work to be done.
And most importantly.
"Here you go, Aisha. What’s this?"
"...A wardrobe."
"It’s for you. Go ahead, open it."
"⋯⋯⋯⋯."
Aisha, with an extremely suspicious and uncomfortable look, cautiously approached the wardrobe and opened it. After peering at the contents in confusion, she blinked at me as if she didn’t understand. Then, she asked the fundamental question.
"Is this really clothing?"
"What’s the definition of clothing?"
"It’s a functional tool to protect the weak human body, but whether I wear this or not makes no difference!"
Bang, bang, bang!
Aisha knocked on the wardrobe in frustration.
But then again, if she hadn’t betrayed me, we wouldn’t be here. If there’s a sin, there must be a punishment. If she’s been corrupted by evil, she must shed it. I picked up a maid swimsuit from the wardrobe.
"Just as I expected, I’ve cast protection spells on the fabric. So, even if it’s just a small strip of cloth, it still counts as clothing, right? Now, it’s time for your fashion show, Aisha-chan. Embrace your sins and atone."
"...W-What are you planning to do with me in this?"
"Naturally... I’ll take photos and ensure they’re passed down through the generations. I’ll make sure everyone you meet from now on knows."
"...⋯⋯."
She had finally earned her name.
From now on, she would live as Aisha, forming relationships with many people, and perhaps... in the distant future, even meeting someone she loves and starting a family.
Her lifespan was considerable. Whatever happened, she would live a long life. Inevitably, she would become someone’s friend, someone’s family, and someone’s light.
It’s truly... a beautiful thing, isn’t it?
I just wanted to add a little fun to that beauty. With an evil grin, I held up the strips of cloth in both hands and declared:
"Whenever you try to act cool in front of someone, I’ll make sure they know! That you once wore a maid swimsuit and threw up a double peace sign, that you’re just a cute girl! I’ll make sure you can never act like some secret mastermind again!"
"Absolutely not──!!"
Aisha shrieked like a teenage girl in the middle of a tantrum and bolted out the door. I immediately gave chase.
Of course, I could simply click the 『Golden Chain』 and easily catch her.
But what kind of father brings a bat to play with his daughter? Since she chose this path, I had decided to treat her like a human.
Today is a bit of an exception, though. There’s always a fitting end for a traitor.
"Embrace your fate, child. There are great destinies in this world that must be accepted!"
"Stop spewing nonsense! Just torture me instead, crank that sensitivity machine to 100x or something!"
"Pain is temporary, but history is eternal. And, child, think about it. If you accept a little exposure, the variety of outfits you can wear increases infinitely. It’s for your own good!"
"Say that with a straight face for once!"
You have to live with a smile.
Our little game of tag continued, and I managed to tackle Aisha just as she was about to escape through the front door. Gotcha.
And then I began to unbutton Aisha’s shirt—
===============================================================
Roderus abruptly woke up from the virtual world the fake Mima had implanted in him.
"...Is this reality?"
"Nyaa..."
"Kim Lulu, wake up. This is no time for sleep-talking."
There might still be enemies nearby.
One day, Roderus and Kim Lulu had awakened to find themselves back in modern-day South Korea. Oh Hye-in and Munge explained that a “new group of Four Heavenly Kings” had invaded Earth, and they had summoned the two of them to help.
Kim Lulu had excitedly bounced around at the reunion with her friends, but Roderus had been skeptical from the start. If they could summon them so easily, they would have done it long ago.
And besides, hadn’t Munge been with them just moments before?
But this Munge in South Korea seemed to have no memory of their previous time together. That left two possibilities: either this world was fake, or the Munge outside was fake.
The world itself was unstable. Strange things kept happening, like buildings appearing out of nowhere or visual noise flickering in the sky.
Roderus tried many ways to escape from the fake world, and after much adventuring and hardship, he concluded that this was a meticulously crafted illusion magic by someone.
And just as he was about to make his final gamble to escape the virtual reality...
The fake Mima vanished, and he woke up from the dream.
Carrying the still-groggy Kim Lulu, Roderus began to move. There was noise outside, and Munge, who had been in the house earlier, was nowhere to be seen.
Staying cautious, he used his former assassin skills to sneak around Crown Hall. Eventually, he managed to gather some information.
Apparently, two identical twin mages had torn up a corner of the capital while fighting.
Black hair, red eyes—those were the features of the mad mage who had once defeated Roderus. Did he have a twin? Or... had the Redburn Duke collected something? Could it be that?
By the looks of it, the timing of Roderus escaping the virtual world perfectly matched the moment the mage disappeared. This meant that the one casting the illusion was the fake mad mage.
"⋯⋯⋯⋯."
There wasn’t enough information yet, but Roderus’s instincts pointed in a certain direction.
Looking back on everything.
Coincidentally, after his defeat to the mad mage, Roderus had ended up in South Korea and became a magical girl. And now, it seemed the mad mage's duplicate had also trapped him in this illusion of South Korea.
And what’s more, unbelievably...
The Four Heavenly Kings, who used plant tentacles to torment the magical girls, included 『Yuri Frostlover』—the mad mage’s subordinate!
Come to think of it, wasn’t the name 『Yunaris of Infinite Void』 openly using the name of the Violet Tower Leader?
Whether it was dimension magic or illusion magic, Roderus still didn’t know. But one thing was clear—the mad mage held the key to all these mysteries.
It would take too long to explain all of this to Kim Lulu, so Roderus summed it up in a simple statement.
"...We might be able to meet Oh Hye-in again, Lulu."
"R-Really?! But we just saw her a moment ago!"
"Let’s go check. I’ve found out where the mad mage is staying."
What was the truth?
Could they really reunite with their friends?
Filled with a mix of hope and anxiety, Roderus and Kim Lulu headed toward the mad mage’s hideout, only to witness...
"I’ll dress you myself if you refuse! Now, strip!"
"Die! Die, mad mage!"
"Embrace your inner maiden! And succumb to the ruffles and exposure..."
"⋯⋯⋯⋯."
...a scene where the mad mage was harassing a woman in real time.
Realizing his social life was hanging by a thread, the mad mage quickly hid the incriminating piece of clothing behind his back and frantically pleaded his innocence.
"⋯⋯It’s a misunderstanding!"
It wasn’t convincing.