EP.16 황자와 미치광이 마법사

EP.16 The Prince and the Mad Mage In a situation on the verge of eruption, the mage remained composed. Instead, with what seemed like a pity, he gazed at Irid. "Your Highness... This is merely an illusion spell." "Do not insult the time I spent with her...!" Irid’s grip on the mage's collar tightened. He glared at the mage with an intensity as if he was literally about to kill him. With an expression as if the gaze scorched him, the mage let out a heavy sigh. "If you deny that it was an illusion spell, what exactly do you think you can gain?" "...What?" The mad rantings began to spill out. "This is much simpler, Your Highness. And it’s right." "The mischievous mage has played a little trick on Your Highness, and all the events and accidents you experienced inside were nothing more than a midsummer night's dream." "What follows is easy. Righteously rage, punish the cruel mage, and that’s the end of it. There is nothing here that Your Highness must take responsibility for." "But... If you believe even for a moment that the illusion was the truth... Oh dear. Where does one even begin to untangle this?" The mage looked at Irid with morose eyes. Despite the still-rising anger––Irid had no choice but to loosen his grip. Swallowed by the swirling indifference in the mage’s pupils. Truly, by the madness that seemed to take all of this so lightly. "I have seen many like you, Your Highness..." "Those who cannot keep their distance and immerse themselves always meet a terrible end. It's inevitable. The players are always... strangers, after all. They cannot be together forever. They are destined to part ways eventually." "Just... a fantasy spell that shows you what you fear the most. Wouldn’t that be enough?" Irid's hand trembled as much as his wavering heart. It was a vicious insult that tore at his wounded heart, yet it was equally tempting. If all of his wounds, Centra’s peril, and the miserable future as a fallen emperor were all lies. Then, it would be fine not to be angry with himself. It would be fine not to feel disillusionment for his foolish self, who failed to notice the signals of the attack and let her be caught up in the explosion. Simply by venting his rage on the mage before him, everything would be tied up neatly. However. The memories he could still bring to vivid life whenever he closed his eyes. The scent of rosemary that still lingered at the tip of his nose. His aching heart was still in denial. ...He couldn't run away to the convenient option. Second Prince Irid recounted the nine-day journey. Scenes from the past flitted through Irid’s mind like a panorama. "At first... I was scared. Being dropped into an unfamiliar future, living through my failures, wandering the back alleys of the city was a horrible experience. I can still sometimes hear the sounds of loathing in my ears." In a future as a fallen dynasty, he wanted to let go of everything. He was scared and wanted to run away. "But... afterwards, I was incredibly happy. At some point, I forgot about the compulsion to become the emperor, my terrible failures." She caught Irid as he was about to flee. Like a firefly, she guided his soul. "It felt as if the hole in my soul was filled. I received something far too precious from her." And that was the current Irid. Ensnared in anger and impatience, Irid had a chance to reflect on himself through the twisted words of the mage. The mage before him mirrored the future Irid who had fled in terror. In order to escape, he could not throw away the precious things he had painstakingly gathered. He had to embrace both the pain and the joy, and take another step forward. The world called that courage. "...Is that so. Yes, was that it?" Second Prince Irid realized. Why he had awoken in the empire a hundred years in the future. Why he had been able to find his soul's counterpart in that vast province. It was never a coincidence. "The magic that would randomly send one away wasn’t it, it seems. The ancient gods are said to have bestowed a trial like both sides of a coin to their champion. And they granted immense power to those who overcame these trials." Trial by fate. In times when the gods directly interfered with the mortal realm, it was a grand ceremony where they placed destiny on the board and shook it to select their agents. "The trial and hardship, is it a dimensional magic that moves one to a world that aligns with the fate of the Pisceanae?" "Is that what you’ve decided to believe?" "You would have experienced it first-hand with your own body, mage. ...And then your heart was broken." "Sure, there were some unpleasant experiences. But they were all illusions, you see." The mage shrugged his shoulders. The gesture seemed incredibly mechanical. After completing the spell, the mage must have also attempted to travel dimensions. And he must have faced a terrible failure. His shattered heart seemed to dismiss everything as an illusion. "Madman, I won’t criticize you for turning your back on reality and running away. After all, without her, my heart would have been broken as well." But. "I have... unfinished business. Cast the spell once more." Centra must be saved. The force of the explosion was significant, but those who could handle magic could reduce it to serious injury if they prepared. With Centra's reaction and senses, she surely defended herself properly. To ensure a decisive end, the resistance’s hardliners would come to kill Centra. She was vulnerable and in danger. Only Irid could help her. Second Prince Irid resolved himself. The mage, looking perplexed, shook his head and then said softly, "...Time is relative, Your Highness. Time on the other side has almost come to a stop." "Is that so?" "It would be good to prepare thoroughly, have some tasty snacks, and enter the play with a refreshed mood." "It’s good news that there’s time. How many chances do I have left?" "...One, Your Highness." "Then I will see you in a week. Send me a list of what’s needed for the magic recasting." Irid straightened the mage's crumpled attire and then turned away. Once the incident had been resolved, the purple-towered master and the young knight, who had been locked in confrontation, gathered their magical energy. Irid took the young knight under his wing and left the tower. --------------------------------------------------------------- In the tower, now with one of its walls completely wrecked, the master and I faced each other with blank expressions. What in the world had just happened? I racked my brain to grasp the situation and summarized it in one sentence. "So right now, I've been mistaken for a 'madman who got branded by dimension magic and went crazy enough to self-induce an illusion spell'?" Even after summarizing it, my head was spinning with incomprehension. Who’s the mad one here? I distinctly gave guidance three times that it was a fiction! Naturally, I assumed the Second Prince was immersing himself in RP—acting. I thought he was aware that it was all a fantasy. After all, what kind of mad prince tests dimension magic with his own body? It's normal to throw in about ten subordinates first and jump in only after ensuring it's safe! He knew it was an illusion, so he must've been testing the system for fun, right? Yet, the reality of a mad prince who dives into dimension magic with his own body... As I oscillated between taking offense at the misunderstanding and feeling proud that my virtual reality was convincing enough, the master cautiously made a bold statement. "Uh, um... But you know." "Yes?" "When you compare the prince and yourself, it's actually you whose mind is... slightly? more troubled. Could it be that it's actually real dimension magic?" "???" I was about to deny the master's preposterous claim when––on second thought, it did have some truth. Compared with the Crown Prince, wasn’t he more put-together? He even remembered people's names. Am I actually a brain in a jar? I, who thought I was a GM, am in reality a dimension mage? Heart-chan, the virtual idol I believed I created and sent out, is actually my hidden self?? "No way!!" Both the master and I fell into major confusion due to the prince's convincing tongue craft. After rotating a totem and pinching each other's cheeks, only after we logged back into virtual reality and replicated three hundred Hearts for a mass flash mob did we finally. Realize, yeah it's definite illusion magic, and we were able to stretch out our legs and sleep peacefully. --------------------------------------------------------------- "Squire, invite the wizards of the Flame Tower who are proficient in calculations. And please contact my sister as well." "...Are you all right? Your Highness, hypnotism is suspected." "Then would you check for me?" "I beg your pardon." The young knight gathered magical energy in his hand and lightly touched the forehead of Second Prince Irid. Irid staggered momentarily, then steadied himself. "How is it?" "Perfectly normal. I don’t feel a sudden uplift or downturn in mood, and there are no gaps in my memory. My resolve is intact... wholly preserved." The young knight furrowed his brows. It had been only three hours. In just three hours, the prince had changed into someone else. An impulsive nature had become a solid drive. The righteous light streaming from his eyes reflected an unwavering determination. "What did you go through?" "In the future, a hundred years hence... I fell in love. It's embarrassing." "It sounds quite foreign to me. Your Highness, you were never that interested in such matters." "Well, I just hadn't met an attractive woman until now." "If you've fallen that deeply, I worry whether I should stop you, in loyalty. I mean using dimension magic again." "Tell me honestly. Although I wish to stay in the future a hundred years hence, I won't. I need to make sure that 'Beer and Songs' echoes throughout this empire. And stop the black sorcerers of the Kingdom Alliance." ".........." "I'll try to act courageously. But before that... I want to save the person I love. I’ll put my commitment to the empire on hold for a moment. Will you join me, squire?" "It's dashing and well-received. I will follow you." Irid walked ahead, and the young knight followed behind. The remaining period was a week. Irid called experts from each field to save Centra.