Hair that seemed to glow even without light, eyes as piercingly blue as a winter lake.

 

His skewed eyebrows and furrowed brow exuded irritation.

 

Yet, the natural dignity draped over his frame transformed that irritation into an aura of authority.

 

This young man was one of the Emperor’s three children, the Second Prince Irid.

 

To put it succinctly, he was handsomely temperamental.

 

He was accompanied by a knight squire, someone I had seen before at the magic tower’s achievement presentation. I had the impression he was quite interested in demon horses.

 

After quickly setting the malfunctioning lord of the magic tower in a prostrate position, I stepped forward.

 

“In gratitude for the Empire’s grace, we have been diligently researching day and night, and it seems that the lord of the magic tower is somewhat weary. It is a sin not to show proper courtesy to the Empire’s Little Sun, but please view this as an act born from sincere devotion.”

 

“You’re verbose. Is that all you have to say?”

 

“Why have you come to the magic tower?”

 

“………?”

 

He seemed to prefer brevity, so when I abruptly asked, the Second Prince’s expression went blank. It was as if someone who ordered a tuna sandwich received a plate of black bean noodles instead.

 

“Did you not just say it was a sin to not show courtesy and whatnot?”

 

It was a fair point, so I promptly prostrated myself on the floor—a neat and proper bow honed from watching historical dramas.

 

Having observed the proper etiquette, I dared to ask again.

 

“Why have you come to the magic tower?”

 

“True to a mage, you’re an oddball. I didn’t expect proper etiquette anyway. Since you don’t seem interested in small talk, let’s get to the point.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“I heard you demonstrated interdimensional magic.”

 

“Excuse me? This is the Amethyst Magetower…”

 

“Do you mean to tell me that you’re backing out even after showing it to me directly? I’ve heard from the knights what happened at the achievement presentation. You’ve glimpsed into another world through dimension magic, haven’t you?”

 

At that moment, sparks flew in my mind, and the puzzle pieces clicked into place.

 

The mystery behind the unusually large amount of royal funding.

 

It was because the royal family had misunderstood that our research in practical dimension magic was effective…!

 

The culprit who caused this misunderstanding was clear.

 

The boy who watched the Sky Demon performance with such keen interest, who is now accompanying the second prince.

 

The other experts had immediately recognized the clumsiness of the Sky Demon’s movements I had conjured and criticized it as a poor illusion. But that boy… he seemed to have believed the illusion to be real.

 

How neglectful must one be in swordsmanship training to take an amateur’s illusion for reality!

 

If he’s following the second prince around, he must either be skilled or well-connected; perhaps a child of a duke’s house. Or maybe he’s just extremely persuasive…

 

I had to resolve this misunderstanding.

 

“This isn’t dimension magic. What we’re studying is illusion magic.”

 

“Hmm?”

 

“Specifically, it’s a type of illusion magic that can show you another world where you can experience all five senses and converse with characters created within it. As if you have fallen into another world.”

 

“…Are you playing some kind of joke on me right now?”

 

“I assure you, it’s the truth. If my words are not convincing enough, would you like to experience it yourself?”

 

“Experience, as in dimensional travel?”

 

“It’s illusion magic.”

 

“I don’t understand why you insist on playing this game of pretending…, but is dimensional travel safe? Can one enter and leave at will?”

 

“It’s illusion magic and it’s safe. Only your consciousness will be transferred, while your royal self will lie here, as if asleep.”

 

“So, you’re saying dimension magic will transfer only my soul.”

 

“Not the soul, your consciousness. And again, it’s illusion magic.”

 

“Fine, I will experience it myself.”

 

“Then, please sign here.”

 

I pulled out a consent form that I had prepared in advance.

 

– I have been informed and fully understand that all events occurring within this virtual reality are fictional and have no relation to real-life individuals. Signature: –

 

From Noble mtl dot com

 

“…”

 

The second prince folded his arms and fell silent for a moment before speaking.

 

“Could you give me a moment alone?”

 

“Yes.”

 

I stepped out of the parlor—

 

“…And take that petrified tower lord with you.”

 

“Yes.”

 

Hoisting the tower lord onto my back, I left the parlor.

 

————-

 

When the tower lord and his disciple left the room, the Second Prince crossed his legs and settled into a more comfortable position.

 

Beneath his slightly lifted eyelids, a web of complex thoughts crisscrossed. There was much to ponder.

 

Leisurely, the Second Prince began to speak.

 

“The tower lord of the Purple Tower is… as fragile as the rumors say. His disciple, the restorer of dimensional magic, seemed rather brave, but not in the least threatening. Was there really a need for a knight to accompany me here?”

 

“Even in the hands of the righteous, a blade remains a blade, Your Highness.”

 

“And what currently guards me is the sharpest imperial blade—one too precious to be wasted guarding against the knife of a country woman slaughtering chickens.”

 

“It seems you doubt the purpose of my accompaniment.”

 

“Don’t you think it’s a reasonable suspicion? Answer me, knight.”

 

The young knight was not offended by the sceptical gaze. It was a suspicion that had its merits.

 

The young knight had attained the pinnacle of swordsmanship, a strength so profound that it seemed to strip away even the physical flesh. And the current Emperor greatly favored using his talents where they were most needed. He would not use a butcher’s knife to slaughter a chicken.

 

There were no exceptions, not even when guarding his own sons and daughters. When the Second Prince was appointed to lead the expedition to the Great Elven Forest, he requested the young knight as his escort. The Emperor had refused.

 

“The dangers of the Great Elven Forest do not warrant dispatching a swordmaster,” was the given reason.

 

In the end, deep within the Great Elven Forest, the Second Prince had lost an arm and an eye. He recovered them after three months of intensive treatment, but the ordeal had etched itself deeply into his memory.

 

That was why.

 

It was neither a charge into the heart of the demon realm, nor a visit to the reputationally weaker Purple Tower. Moreover, it was a friendly relationship, devoid of any past grudges. So why was a young knight tagging along as an ‘escort’?

 

There had to be another reason.

 

Perhaps he had decided to side with the First Princess or the Third Prince—to spy on the Second Prince’s affairs…

 

Despite his youthful appearance, the young knight’s mind was more than mature enough to grasp the suspicions of the Second Prince. And he had ample time to dispel them. His clear, youthful voice resonated in the parlor.

 

“I support neither of the three. I merely fulfil my duties… Although, you may not believe me. Let me explain further. I am carrying out three missions entrusted to me by His Imperial Majesty. Are you aware of them?”

 

“Allocation of royal patronage funds. Defence of the Empire. Protection of the imperial bloodline from threats.”

 

The Second Prince emphasized the word ‘threats’ as he responded.

 

“Yes, precisely, protection from threats beyond our control. Anyone could have defended you in the Great Elven Forest.”

 

“But someone ended up with a severed arm and a lost eye. So are you saying that this Purple Tower represents an uncontrollable threat?”

 

“It’s the tower lord of the Purple Tower.”

 

At the young knight’s reply, the Second Prince’s eyebrows twitched.

 

I know he’s not a liar, but it was a hard pill to swallow.

 

Considered the weakest of all the wizard towers, it was the purple tower.

 

And the master of the purple tower we had just met didn’t seem that powerful.

 

“Until his appearance announcing dimensional magic, all the subsidies provided to the purple tower… were amounts paid to the individual master of the purple tower.”

 

“Paid to an individual, you say? What does that mean?”

 

“There are two reasons the royal family invests subsidies in a wizard tower. First, ‘the development of the specific school of magic’. Second, ‘supplying magician manpower in times of similar situations.’ In the case of the purple tower, they didn’t expect the first. After all, illusion magic lacks practicality.”

 

The clever second prince was able to catch the key points.

 

“So that means ── one master of the purple tower, equals the entire manpower of other wizard towers? And thus, they passed subsidy as if hiring one purple tower master?”

 

“That’s a rating even the blue tower master, seen as the most brilliant in battle among all the wizard towers, did not receive.”

 

“It sounds like an excuse, but illusion magic lacks practicality.”

 

“If she had learned flame magic instead of illusion magic, the structure of the empire might have been different. She is a monster-like genius.”

 

“It’s hard to believe but… so you mean a once-in-a-century genius continuity chose the purple tower?”

 

“It seems so.”

 

The second prince relieved his anger and loosened his tense muscles. He had no reason to lie, so it must be the truth.

 

Even if the truth was unbelievable, he had to believe it. Being stuck in an old-fashioned mindset was a dangerous poison for a ruler.

 

The second prince readjusted his images in his head.

 

Purple Tower Master: Weak hasty one ⇒ a dragon in rabbit’s clothes.

 

Disciple of the Purple Tower Master: Even if a genius, focusing on illusion magic wouldn’t make them powerful ⇒ then rebuilding practical dimensional magic wasn’t a reckless act, this person’s also a potential dragon.

 

Knight boy: One who claims neutrality yet blatantly attaches himself to a sibling ⇒ a true loyalist.

 

“Let’s move on. The disciple of the wizard tower master claimed their magic was illusion magic.”

 

“Isn’t it an act of closing their eyes and pretending not to know?”

 

“If I said I’d like to experience it, what would you advise?”

 

“There was no lie in saying it’s safe. It should have enough safety mechanisms to showcase to the royal family.”

 

“I’ll see it for myself. We’ll see just how valuable this magic is.”

 

The second prince could be impulsive due to his sanguine personality, but his bold initiatives and audacity were commendable. The knight boy didn’t discourage the second prince from taking action.

 

“Get it ready. Show that illusion magic you assert.”

 

“It certainly is genuine illusion magic.”

 

“Right, it can show different worlds, can make you feel pain, may provide knowledge that never existed before, filled with countless people wandering around, it allows interaction and socializing, and yet you claim it to be illusion magic.”

 

“Please remember, everything is fiction. Imagination that holds no relationship with real events.”

 

Alright, then go ahead and try.”

 

“In three hours according to real-world time, I will call upon the prince again. I will leave a mark on your wrist so you can recognize the time of return. And once again, I must insist that this is fiction.”

 

Excessively persistent, I under──

 

There was no third repetition nor any outburst from the second prince threatening to cut the grant in half if one more mention of ‘fiction’ was made.

 

The magic had been activated, and the TRPG had begun.