Located on the edge of the Kingdom of Ladyvia, this city attracts Magicians from all over the world, who devote themselves to the study of magic on a daily basis.
At this moment, an old man appeared in the city. He was also a magician.
When he arrived at a large building, he was greeted by a man in front of the building.
“Mr. Gory, I give you our warmest welcome. The President is waiting for you in the back.”
“Mm-hmm.”
The old man then followed the man into the building.
This building was the headquarters of the Magic Association. The Magic Association has its roots all over the continent, and Magic City is at the center.
“I am sorry to have summoned you so suddenly. Once the President starts talking, he never listens.”
“……It’s fine, that’s my job.”
“I appreciate you saying so. Oh, my daughter is a fan of Mr. Gory. If you don’t mind, can I get your autograph later?”
“Oh, yes. Of course.”
The old man smiled amiably.
When the man heard that he could get an autograph, he thanked the latter happily.
“……We’ve arrived. The President is waiting inside. I’ll see you later.”
The old man, now alone, opened the door with a little hesitation.
“Pardon me.”
When he entered the room, he saw a young man there. Or perhaps it was more like a boy than a man.
The pretty-looking young man, who gives the impression of being in his early teens, turns his attention to the old man who entered the room while sitting in an expensive-looking chair.
“……You’re finally here, I’m tired of waiting.”
This smiling person is Emilia Richt, the head of the Magic Society.
He may look like a young boy, but he is well over a hundred years old. He is a living legend who is well versed in all kinds of magic and is called the “Strongest Magician.”
He glanced at the person standing in front of him and flashed a wicked smile.
“I’m sorry to call you out of the blue, Gory, but things have been a bit messy.”
“…. No. It’s no problem.”
He replied, but then went silent after.
An awkward silence then fell over the room.
Emilia, who had been smiling happily for a while, suddenly looks bored, as if his amusement has been sapped.
“……Come on? If you’re going to do this, can’t you do it better? You’re ruining the fun.”
“Ah? Wh- what are you talking about?”
“I’m done with this play, you really think I won’t notice?”
Suddenly, the surface of Gory’s face cracked! And out of it came the face of McBell, Gory’s disciple.
McBell, realizing that his face has returned to normal, hastily tries to hide it, but he is too late. Emilia already saw his face.
“~Mirror Image of Light~, good magic. But it may fool a third-rate Magician, you can’t fool my eyes.”
The ~Mirror Image of Light~ is a higher magic, and when invoked by Gory, it creates an illusion that is a duplicate of the real thing.
But Emilia is a top-notch magician. He was able to detect it with just the slightest fluctuation of magic power.
“You are Gory’s disciple, aren’t you? I’m sure you were trying to take part in the awarding ceremony as his replacement, but I can’t and won’t overlook such dishonesty.”
“B… but!”
McBell tries to argue, but at that moment an enormous amount of magic power is released from Emilia’s body, pressuring and stopping McBell.
Such overwhelming difference erased any trace of McBell’s courage.
“Now, let me ask you something. What did the infidel who skipped the ceremony say and disobeyed my order?”
The President asks with a hearty smile.
But his smile faded when he heard the words that Gory had given to McBell to relay when he got caught.
“Well, that’s…. ‘You androgynous trap old man pretending to be young’.”
[T/N: the “androgynous trap” above is basically looking like both male and female at the same time. As if undecided of what his gender actually is]
Emilia’s forehead is streaked with blue.
Anyone who belongs to the Magic Association knows that it is a taboo to speak of the President’s age and gender. Breaking this taboo, in other words, means parting ways with the Magic Association.
Sensing the disquieting atmosphere, McBell tries to explain himself.
“Ah! Don’t get me wrong, of course I didn’t mean it. It’s not my words, don’t shoot the messenger.”
“Well, isn’t that great?
“Hee!”
A terrifying magic power filled the room, making McBell feel suffocated and kneel. He’s even wet himself a little.
“Great, it’s been boring lately. Gory, I look forward to seeing you again…!”
Anger or joy? Emilia muttered to himself, her body trembling.
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[Glossary]
• Magic Association
A huge organization that has its roots all over the continent. It has its headquarters in Magic City in the Kingdom of Ladyvia.
Its activities are diverse, ranging from “management of magic academies,” “magic research,” “subjugating magic beasts,” “creation of magic tools,” and “management of Sage and Great Sages.”
The association, with its long history and high status, has more power than a small country, and sometimes even rejects the request of the King of a country.
The primary goal of the association is to reach the “essence of magic,” but many of its members play politics.