Otherworld TRPG Game Master

Chapter 9: Anyway, It’s Not Dimensional Magic

༺ Anyway, It’s Not Dimensional Magic ༻

 Even without lighting, his blond hair seemed to shine, and his eyes were as piercingly blue as a winter lake. His slanted eyebrows and narrowed forehead gave off the vibe that he was sharp-tempered.

 However, the natural dignity he carried transformed this sharp-tempered vibe into an aura of authority. 

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

 To summarize with one line, he was handsomely temperamental.

 He was accompanied by a boy knight as his attendant. I had seen that face before at the Magic Tower Performance Conference. He seemed very interested in the Heavenly Demon, if I recall correctly.

 I roughly set the broken Tower Master in a prostrate position and stepped forward.

 “As she has been researching day and night to repay the grace of the Empire, it seems that the Magic Tower Master is a bit tired. It is a sin not to show proper respect to the Small Sun of the Empire, but this is all due to her sincere and loyal heart. Please kindly look upon her with mercy.” 

 “Your words are lengthy. Have you finished what you have to say?”

“Why are you here?”

 “⋯⋯⋯⋯?”

 When I asked point-blank, since he seemed to prefer brevity, Second Prince Irid’s expression hardened. It was like the face of someone who ordered a tuna sandwich but received black bean noodles¹type of korean noodles called Jjajangmyun. instead.

 “You……Didn’t you just say that it’s a sin not to show proper respect?”

 I immediately prostrated myself on the ground at his valid point. It was a neatly executed deep bow, honed by watching historical dramas. Having shown proper respect, I asked again.

 “Why are you here?”

 “Just as expected of a wizard. You are quite an oddball as well. I do not expect proper manners. I have no interest in idle talk so let us get straight to the point.”  

 “Yes.”

 “I heard you demonstrated Dimensional Magic.”

 “Excuse me? But this is the Purple Magic Tower……”

 “Are you saying you’re denying it even after showing it yourself? I heard what happened in the Performance Conference from my knight. Apparently, you peeked into another world with Dimensional Magic.”

 At that moment, a spark flew in my mind as the puzzle pieces fit together.

 The secret of the suspiciously large grant from the Imperial Family; they mistook our research for Dimensional Magic that had been made practical………! 

 The culprit who had caused such a misunderstanding was clear. It was the boy accompanying Second Prince Irid at this very moment; the one who had watched the screening of the Heavenly Demon with great interest.

 The other masters instantly realized the clumsiness of the Heavenly Demon I conjured and criticized it as a poor illusion. But this boy…..seemed to believe it was real.

 How lax was his swordsmanship training to mistake an amateur’s illusion for reality?! 

 If he was accompanying Second Prince Irid, he must either be killed or well-connected. Since it can’t be the former, perhaps he was a son of a Duchy. If not, maybe he was just insanely good at speaking,…….

 I had to clear up this misunderstanding.

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 “It is not Dimensional Magic. What we are researching is Illusion Magic.”

 “Hm?”

 “To be more specific, it’s an Illusion Magic that can show another world, make you feel all five senses within it, and allow conversations with the characters conjured inside. It is as if falling into another world.” 

 “……Are you perhaps trying to jest with me right now?”

 “It’s the absolute truth. If words are not convincing enough, would you like to experience it?”

 “Experience it, you say. As in Dimensional Travel?”

 “It is Illusion Magic.”

 “I cannot fathom why you are playing possum to this extent, but…….Is Dimensional Travel safe? And is it possible to enter and exit freely?”

 “It’s Illusion Magic and it’s safe. It’s a form that only transfers consciousness, so Your Highness’s body will be lying down asleep.”

 “So, it transfers only the soul with Dimensional Magic.”

 “Not the soul, consciousness. And again, it’s Illusion Magic.”

 “Alright, fine. I shall try experiencing it once.”

 “Then please sign here.”

 I took out a consent form I had prepared in advance.

-I have been informed and fully understand that all events in virtual reality are fictional and have no relation to real persons.

Signature : –

 “⋯⋯⋯⋯.”

 Second Prince Irid crossed his arms and was silent for a moment before speaking.

 “Would you mind stepping out for a bit?”

 “Yes.”

 I left the reception ro──

 “……And take that frozen Tower Master with you.”

 “Yes.”

 I hoisted the Tower Master onto my back and left the reception room.

===============================================================

 Once the Tower Master and her disciple left the room, the Second Prince crossed his legs and settled into a comfortable position. His thoughts were complex under his slightly opened eyelids. There was much to consider.

 The Second Prince spoke leisurely.

 “As rumored, the Purple Magic Tower Master is…….frail. Her disciple, the Restorer of Dimensional Magic, seemed bold, but not threatening. Was there a need for Sir Knight to accompany me here?”

 “A blade is still a blade, even in the hands of a virtuous person, Your Highness.”

 “And I am currently being guarded by the sharpest sword of the Empire. A sword far too precious to be concerned about a village housewife’s knife made to slaughter chickens.”

 “I see Your Highness suspects the reason for my presence here.”

 “Is it not a reasonable suspicion? Answer me, Sir Knight.”

 The boy knight did not take offense at the gaze of suspicion. After all, it was perfectly understandable.

 The boy knight was a powerhouse that had reached the pinnacle of the sword, having shed even his physical layer. And the current Emperor greatly appreciated using talents in their rightful place. He never used a butcher’s knife for a job that only required catching poultry. 

 This was no exception even for his own children. When the Second Prince was appointed as the leader of the Elven Forest Expedition, he had requested the boy knight as his escort, which the Emperor rejected.

 ‘The danger level of the Elven Forest does not warrant dispatching a Swordmaster,’ was the reason.

 In the end, the Second Prince lost an eye and an arm in the Elven Forest. Although he recovered after three months of intensive treatment, the experience impacted him, lingering deep in his brain.

 That was why.

 This wasn’t some charge into the heart of the Demon Realm, but rather a visit to the Purple Magic Tower, known for its infamous weakness. There were no hostile relations and the other party was sufficiently friendly. So why was the boy knight accompanying him as a ‘guard’?

 There had to be another reason.

 Perhaps, he had decided to side with the First Princess or the Third Prince and came here to spy on him……

 The boy knight, who was very old despite his young appearance, easily read the Second Prince’s suspicions. And he had enough time to dispel them. His clear, youthful voice filled the reception room.

 “I do not support any of the three candidates. I am merely carrying out my duties…….though Your Highness may not believe me. Let me explain further. I am fulfilling three missions assigned by His Majesty the Emperor. Does Your Highness know what they are?”

 “Appropriation of Imperial Family Grants. Empire defense. Protection of the Imperial Bloodline from threats.”

 The Second Prince emphasized ‘threats’ in his response.

 “Yes. Specifically, protection from threats that cannot be handled otherwise. After all, anyone could have protected Your Highness the Prince in the Elven Forest.” 

 “Yet my arm was cut off and I lost an eye. So, does this mean the Purple Magic Tower is a threat that cannot be handled by others?”

 “It is the Purple Magic Tower Master.”

 The Second Prince’s eyebrows twitched at the boy knight’s response. It was because it was hard to believe even though he knew the knight was not a liar.

 The Purple Magic Tower was considered the weakest among all Magic Towers. And the Purple Magic Tower Master he just met did not seem all that strong.

 “Until her announcement of Dimensional Magic, all the grants being funded to the Purple Magic Tower…..were personally allocated to the Purple Magic Tower Master.”

 “Personally, you say. What is the implication?”

 “There are two reasons the Imperial Family invests grants into the Magic Towers. First, ‘the magic development of the school in question’. Second, ‘a supply and demand of wizard manpower in times of need’. The Purple Magic Tower was not expected to fulfill the first. After all, Illusion Magic lacks practicality.”

 The astute Second Prince was able to catch the essence of what was being said.

 “So, that means── one Purple Magic Tower Master is comparable to the entire manpower of other Magic Towers? And because of that, the grant was given as a way to just employ the Purple Magic Tower Master?”

 “Not even the Blue Magic Tower Master, considered the best in combat out of all the Tower Masters, received such an evaluation.”

 “I remember Sir Knight saying with his own words that Illusion Magic lacks practicality, though.”

 “If she had studied Fire Magic instead of Illusion Magic, the structure of the Empire might have been different. She is a genius bordering on a monster.”

 “It’s hard to believe, but…..Haaah, then does that mean geniuses that would appear maybe once in a century consecutively chose the Purple Magic Tower?”

 “It appears that way.”

 The Second Prince calmed his anger, relaxing his body. There was no reason to lie, so it must be the truth. Truth must be believed, even if it was unbelievable. Being trapped in old ways of thinking was a dangerous poison for a ruler.

 The Second Prince readjusted the image in his mind.

Purple Magic Tower Master :

Weak and Frail Half-Wit => A Dragon Wearing the Skin of a Rabbit

Disciple of the Purple Magic Tower Master :

No matter how much of a genius he is, if his specialty is Illusion Magic, his combat force must be low => It isn’t for no reason that he restored Dimensional Magic made for practical use. This guy is also a prospective Dragon candidate.

Boy Knight :

Claiming neutrality but sneakily siding with Elder Sister or Younger Brother => A true loyalist.

 “Let’s move on to the next point. The disciple of the Tower Master claims his magic is Illusion Magic.”

 “Isn’t he just clearly feigning ignorance?”

 “If I say I wish to experience it, will you stop me?”

 “There was no falsehood when he said it was safe. It must be equipped with safety measures that are appropriate enough to even present to a member of the Imperial Family.”

 “I shall see it with my own eyes. To determine the extent of this magic’s value.”

 The Second Prince, although impulsive and quick-tempered, had a courage and boldness that deserved high praise. The boy knight did not try to stop him.

===============================================================

 “I signed. Show me. The so-called Illusion Magic.”

 “It really is Illusion Magic.”

 “Ah, that’s right. You plan to show me another world, where I can feel pain, gain new knowledge, and interact with an abundance of people, yet you claim it’s all Illusion Magic.”

 “Please remember. Everything is fiction. It has no relation to actual events, purely a product of imagination.”

 “I get it, so go ahead.”

 “After three hours in real-time, I shall call for Prince again. I shall leave a mark on your wrist so you can recognize the time to return. And to reiterate, it is all fiction.”

 “You’re excessively tenacious. I ge──”

 There was no roar of rage along the lines of ‘I get it, so if you blabber about fiction and whatever one more time, I shall cut the grant given in half!’ from the Second Prince.

 It was because the magic activated and the TRPG had begun.

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  type of korean noodles called /genesisforsaken