༺ After Story : “The Crazy Wizard to the Academy” ༻
Second Prince Irid’s office was located in the former brothel Rosaria’s building, now a secret base of the Imperial Defense Bureau, and externally known as the inn 『Beer and Song』, whose service was so abysmal that it was suspicious.
Irid placed only a desk in a secluded room on the third floor where he conducted his work, decorating it with a single sprig of rosemary in a vase. The office was far from the dignity of the Imperial Court.
Even within the Defense Bureau, there was speculation as to why the noble Second Prince, one who carried the Empire’s most distinguished lineage, had set up his office in such a shabby inn.
Some speculated it was to cultivate modest living habits in preparation for falling out of the succession race.
Others thought it was the enlightened Second Prince’s way of empathizing with the subjects’ suffering by taking on unpleasant tasks.
Some even guessed it was a plot to find the Defense Bureau’s vulnerabilities and dismantle the entire department.
However, only one agent knew the real reason.
‘Your speculations are all garbage.’
Defense Bureau Agent C thought to herself while assisting Irid with his word.“Next.”
“Yes, the next item is about an unidentified dungeon discovered nearby the Academy. According to the reconnaissance team, signs of the Black Wizard were found throughout its interior.”
“That doesn’t seem like enough of a report to come to me, though. Was there anything unusual?”
“Yes. An Elite Mark was found. After borrowing the Catalog of Malfeasance from the Church of the Goddess and cross-referencing with it, the Mark belongs to the 『Corpse Flower that Consumes Fear』.”
“…..I remember. I heard about it in a fairy tale Noonim read to me before. A Black Wizard who burnt down a castle overnight with white crows and black swans……Let’s put this on hold. We need to gather more cards so we have better countermeasures. Next.”
“Yes, moving onto the next item. Again, a petition has arrived from the Red Magic Tower asking for an increase in grants from the Imperial Family.”
“Imperial Descendants do not have the authority to allocate grants…..You informed them of this, yes?”
“Yes. And yet, they sent another. This time, they took it a step further and scattered printed petitions over a no-fly zone.”
“Sometimes, I think we should lock the wizards in a religious facility once a week for the sake of their mental health. Ignore it. Next.”
“Yes, moving onto the next item. This is a letter from First Princess Elaine. She has stated that she plans to visit soon…..”
“I cannot decipher what the matter is. First, hide any confidential documents that would be troublesome if found. Send out agents who swore loyalty to me on external assignments and store Centra’s portrait in the underground vaul──”
Bang.
A sound that shouldn’t have come from a door was heard as it opened.
And the assailant, wearing a red dress, boldly stepped in.
“Hi, my dear baby brother-!”
“W-What is this, perhaps a surprise attack……?! Or a trap?! A power struggle for the throne is forbidden by His Majesty the Emperor’s decre──EUP!!”
Clench-!
The ferocious grip of First Princess Elaine lifted Irid into the air. And then she embraced him tightly. It was a hug filled with joy and love. Agent C, who witnessed this scene, testified as follows.
That ‘just like the round sun setting between the hills, so did the face of the Second Prince’.
It was only after spinning around 35 times that Elaine finally put Irid down.
===============================================================
Irid, now sitting at the table, ordered Defense Bureau Agent C to massage his stiff shoulders. It was the aftereffects of being assaulted by a human centrifuge.
Elaine, like a child visiting a theme park for the first time, looked around curiously and asked bluntly.
“Why are you working in such a shitty, cramped room?”
“That is none of Noonim’s concern.”
“If the room is this small, there is no space to dodge. It’s disadvantageous in many ways if you’re attacked, not to mention it would be blown away by a single Explosion Magic.”
“I’m well aware of the safety concern, so do not wor……. Wait, I am sure I had set up a protective field around this room, though.”
“Should’ve paid more attention to the windows too, yeah?”
Irid looked at the crystal ball he hung on the ceiling. The crystal ball, which should have emitted a protective field, was now turned off, rendering it into a mere pretty ornament.
As Second Prince Irid’s mind wavered between C’s suspicion and betrayal, Elaine revealed the trick she used.
Click click. As Elaine twirled her fingers, the window opened on its own. A gust of wind blew in, turning on the power to the crystal ball before running away.
“……You’re saying you had such abilities?”
“I acquired it through the Dimensional Magic. It wasn’t too bad.”
“I did think that you had lost the edge in your eyes. I see there was a reason for that.”
“……You can see something like that?”
“After all, I didn’t know when I could die by your hands. I can’t read too much into things, though. I can only see things like how Noonim is fairly conscious about your weight or how you agonize over whether to eat a macaron or not and when you end up eating it, you regret i…….KEUAAAAH!!”
The human centrifuge spun seventeen more times.
C quickly tied up Irid’s disheveled hair after the rapid acceleration of the spin.
“Hmhm. You’re even joking with this Noonim now, huh. You’ve changed a lot, Irid.”
“To be more precise……It is Noonim who has changed.”
It isn’t that I’m joking because I’ve become bolder, it’s that you’ve become more approachable to be teased. Irid muttered this, remembering the past when the First Princess always seemed ready to behead someone at the slightest provocation or irk.
After all, who would dare to tease a lion baring its teeth?
“I’ve parted your head to a 2 to 8 ratio, Your Highness.”
“Don’t play with a prince’s hair and set it back to how it was, C”
After giving a warning to the Elite Agent C, who could eat two servings of madeleines in one go1 This is referencing back when Irid was searching for Centra and Agent C accompanied him. Basically, when Irid was reminiscing about Centra, C tried to hold off from eating because Irid didn’t. But in the end, she couldn’t stop herself from eating, and eventually ate Irid’s portion too LOL. That’s why it’s a joke about how she could even eat two servings of desserts. That’s how much she likes sweet things! How cute, Irid fell deep into thought.
He had gained love, but his Noonim had undergone a transformation in her abilities.
He was well aware of the First Princess’s original powers. A walking storm, a bloodwind that swept through the battlefield. By the end of the battle, the finely chopped bodies of enemies would create a red mist, a destructive and extreme Metamorphosis that was brought about by self-harm.
There was a reason why the Church of the Goddess’s Priest Corps protested in front of the First Princess’s residence every month, pleading to ‘Please listen to us just once before you go’ only to be taken away to prison. Extreme Metamorphoses led to extreme Sublimations.
And those with extreme Metamorphoses were practically nutcases.
History, too, proved it. One example was the Sword Ghost, who was active 100 years ago. Another was the Projectile Ghost, who went mad and committed a massacre 10 years ago and was now being subjected to human experiments in the research wing of the Gold Magic Tower.
They remained fraught with unease in the Metamorphosis stage, thus carrying that twisted mindset over when touching upon Sublimation. And the moment they did that, they became enemies of the Empire. Perhaps his Noonim, too, would have been called the Blood Ghost had she reached Sublimation in such a state.
As such, it was a relief.
“……Should I hug you one more time?”
“Forget it. Just state your business. There must be a reason for your visit.”
“There are two big ones. One is important and the other, well…I’m not sure if it’s important, but…I guess I personally want to talk about it…..?”
“How long-winded. Let’s start with the former.”
“What are you going to do about them? The Purple Magic Tower.”
“I do not understand what you mean.”
“Just as I said, I’m asking about their treatment. Ah, I don’t mean to harm them or anything…… But it’s a pity to just keep it a secret without doing anything.”
“Indeed, that is true. It is a pity.”
After all, the magic they had could be applied in various ways.
The Second Prince was well aware of this fact, having gone inside and died. The safety measures were sound and it was an experience valuable enough to change one’s attitude towards life, just by experiencing death itself.
Moreover, even if not for the Dimensional Magic, an Illusion Wizard was needed anyway…… After all, a Professor was needed at the Academy to teach Illusion Magic.
Even if one did not know how to use Illusion Magic, teaching how to deal with it was necessary. And also…..
Rustle.
Second Prince Irid pulled out a few sheets from a stack of documents. The Academy’s enrollment list, the movements of the Black Wizard, and the nearby unidentified dungeon.
“It is time for the annual event.”
“Are you talking about the Academy Raid?”
“That’s right. It may just be a conviction I have because of the raid, but I think there is a very high probability that there is a mole of the Black Wizard inside the Academy. Normally, it could’ve just been resolved by dispatching the Boy Knight to the Academy, but…..”
“Mm, it would be noisy. And the Interspecies Council meeting is coming up soon. He will have to pay attention to that, after all……”
Irid drew the big picture in his mind. Strengthening the Academy students, preparing for the Black Wizard, and a move to solve the factional disputes and power struggles within the Academy.
A brilliant idea struck him.
It was to send the Nutcase Wizard to the Academy.
“I’ll have to send the Crazy Wizard to the Academy with one person to act as a suppressor of sorts.”
Irid looked at C.
C maintained a poker face, all while setting off fireworks inside her mind. It was because the Academy was a sweeter workplace than one would expect. And there was even a famous dessert cafe.
“If you entrust it to me, I shall handle it with the utmost sincer……”
“? No, you’re supposed to work by my side.”
“Then, the meaning of that look is…”
“Ask around and find a suitable person. Someone who is slightly out of their mind, but good at following orders seems appropriate.”
“Actually, I am slightly out of my mind.”
“You are perfectly normal, so don’t devalue yourself.”
Irid drafted the necessary orders for this matter, stamped his seal, and handed the stack of documents that were made to C’s embrace. C inwardly bid farewell to the Academy’s Mont Blanc and set off to work.
He leaned back in his chair, taking a breather.
“……So?”
Elaine, who had been watching her little brother work with sparkling eyes, was startled by his call and hesitated.
“Eung?”
“You have something you want to say. It’s written all over your forehead.”
“Ah…….About that. What if I told you that the First Prince was the culprit? Would you believe me?”
“Haven’t we talked about this several times before?”
“…….This time, it’s different.”
Irid turned his head to look into Elaine’s eyes. It was still impossible to read everything. The masks built up over a long time did not peel off so easily, after all.
But he could definitely see a change.
A cool breeze was blowing in her eyes. Not a bloodwind swirling in stagnation, but a wind strengthening out freely. And……. There was hope.
A sincere hope that her story would be heard and believed could be seen. Irid harbored hope as well. The story to unfold was one he had heard many times before and had always ended up doubting.
Once again, he would doubt, continuously probing into various parts of the story and calling it odd, and eventually declare it as circumstantial evidence. But at the end of it all, if he could come to believe his Noonim… Then the two could return to the affectionate times of their childhood.
“……Let’s go over it slowly. Don’t just stand there and sit. Not on the bed, though. That’s my spot.”
“Then where are you telling me to sit……?”
“On the bare floor or on top of the desk.”
“Can’t you please just move to a bigger room…….?!”
The story continued for quite a while. Elaine unraveled the truth of that day and Irid listened attentively, yet warily. The twisted hearts that blinded each other were taken away by a certain wizard’s illusion. With that alone, their misunderstandings were resolved.
Elaine, with tears of joy, spun Irid 28 more times, thus marking the sole tragedy of that day.
1This is referencing back when Irid was searching for Centra and Agent C accompanied him. Basically, when Irid was reminiscing about Centra, C tried to hold off from eating because Irid didn’t. But in the end, she couldn’t stop herself from eating, and eventually ate Irid’s portion too LOL. That’s why it’s a joke about how she could even eat two servings of desserts. That’s how much she likes sweet things! How cute ***
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