Story. (1)
Thud—
The sound of dress shoes echoed sharply through the corridor.
I halted in the halls of the Imperial Palace. A status window had floated up before my eyes.
Demon's Mirror
◆ Talent Acquired: Origin — Mirror
"……"
Demon's Mirror, quest completed.
Shop currency and a talent acquired.
I couldn't make sense of it, so I rewound time in my mind for a moment.
While studying Mirror Magic and Glass Magic in the Imperial University Tower library, I received Sophien's summons and came straight to the palace, played a game of chess with her……
No matter how I thought about it, nothing stood out. Yet the reward was tremendous.
A mage's three talents—Attribute, Origin, and Oddity—were as vital as one's traits.
And I had acquired "Origin" among them.
"Origin."
Originally, Deculein's magical talent was the elemental "Attribute," specifically earth and fire.
Of course, earth and fire broadly encompassed mirrors, but this "Origin" carried different implications.
In simple terms, I now possessed the composite talents of "Origin—Mirror" and "Attribute—Earth·Fire."
"However."
I simply didn't know the reason.
Why the quest had suddenly resolved, why it granted the specific Origin of "Mirror."
—Come out here!
Suddenly, the corridor grew noisy. No, the entire Imperial Palace buzzed with excitement.
Knights appeared from somewhere and dashed through the halls, while attendants hurried about.
—Hurry! Everyone, over here……
I followed them slowly. The further I walked, the more people there were.
Countless officials and knights crowded the first-floor windows, peering out at the training grounds.
"……Ah, Lord Yukline! Behold that beautiful sight!"
Someone who didn't know why grabbed me and pulled me along.
The very next moment, I understood immediately.
"It's been nearly fifteen years. For Her Majesty to come out and exercise this morning……"
Emperor Sophien was sparring with Kairon in swordsmanship. Like the others, I stared at her in a daze.
"……Has the world changed?"
I merely muttered it. Yet the words seeped back into my ears. Like a stone tossed into a pond, they rippled faintly, leading to a certain thought.
Sophien's sudden morning exercise.
Far from ordinary, it suited the precursor to world-ending madness perfectly. Add the "quest completed" notification to that eccentricity……
"……"
I withdrew silently. Leaving the officials and knights behind, I walked back down the corridor to a deserted space.
A passage leading to the Imperial Palace underground.
I gazed at the plain wooden door. Slowly, I approached and gripped the handle.
Click—
It merely creaked but wouldn't open.
"……"
I placed my hand on the door. An inexplicable chill seeped in.
"……Is it here?"
It felt like instinct speaking, like my consciousness conveying it. That something unknown to me—or forgotten by me—was locked inside.
Simply that the time wasn't right yet.
"Indeed."
I nodded and turned away without regret. Suddenly, cheers erupted—"Whoaaa!"
The entire palace was making a racket watching Sophien's swordplay.
Should I watch too? Or fetch Julie and go together? Or perhaps neither.
"Julie."
"……!"
Julie, hiding in the underground corridor pretending to be a knight statue, flinched.
"Did you…… know?"
"Come watch Her Majesty with me. You're a training knight, after all. It'll help your next lesson."
"……Yes."
Julie approached, her plate armor clanking. I walked with her.
Our parting was not far off now……
But on a bizarre day like today, we could spend it together.
* * *
……Iphi! Iphi!
A voice seeped into her hazy consciousness. Hands shook her body.
Ifrin's eyes snapped open like a zombie's during deep sleep. Through her glued-shut eyelids, her friend Julia spoke.
"Did you hear?"
"Hear whaaat……"
"Sylvia!"
"……Sylvia?"
Yawn— Ifrin sat up, yawning. Julia chattered excitedly.
"Ugh! She—she's already a Monarch!"
"……"
Ifrin was still groggy.
Rooaaar— After a second dinosaur-like yawn, she asked again.
"Monarch?"
"Yeah! Monarch!"
"……You mean mage rank?"
Then, roooaaar— with a third yawn and stretch.
"That's what I said! Monarch rank!"
"……Well, she's got what it takes."
"What do you mean 'what it takes'! Iphi, she could end up as our professor outta nowhere!"
"No waaay~"
Ifrin glanced at the blackboard. The required course Wide-Area Magic for Monster Countermeasures: Fire Destruction Series had already ended.
"Still, hitting Monarch already…… Kinda jealous."
Honestly, Ifrin felt like she'd wasted some time. Most Soda rank lectures were too easy, stuff she already knew.
"Jealous my ass! It's just her family connections! If she were a commoner, no way she'd be Monarch. She hit it not even six months after getting her Soda badge!"
"……Yeah."
She nodded vaguely in agreement with Julia's rant and sat up.
"But Iphi, why haven't you come to our shop lately?"
Julia tilted her head, looking genuinely miffed. Her expensive earring artifact jingled.
Ifrin sighed.
"Sigh~ I wanna go. But I've got too much studying."
No time even to eat. More precisely, no time to stray far from the tower.
For the past month, though full Understanding was impossible, she had to grasp "somewhat" the paper Deculein had given her.
"We started delivery service recently."
"……For real?"
That perked her ears. Julia grinned.
"Yeah. It's a bit pricier, but for regulars like you, delivery's free."
"……Reallly?"
Ifrin unconsciously licked her lips. Slurp.
"Then today—"
*
Having reserved Roahawk delivery, Ifrin cheerfully ascended to the 77th floor.
[Head Professor: Deculein]
Fiddling with the documents for Professor Deculein, she knocked on the office door.
Knock knock—
No response.
"Not here today either?"
Ifrin muttered and pushed the handle. Slide— the door opened smoothly. But no one was inside.
Didn't lock it? Or just stepped out?
Ifrin walked in and placed the documents on Deculein's desk.
"……Hmm~ Hmhmhmm~"
About to leave, she slyly glanced around. Then reached for his desk drawer—
—What do you think you're doing.
"Eek!"
Startled, Ifrin whipped her head that way.
A long mirror hung on the wall. Professor Deculein stood inside it.
Instinctively, she checked the other side of the mirror.
No Professor Deculein.
"?"
She looked back at the mirror.
Professor Deculein was there.
"……What? Why's he in the mirror but……"
Not outside.
A situation defying human perception. While Ifrin gaped blankly, Deculein whooshed— out of the mirror.
"Wha—whoa?!"
"……"
Deculein calmly approached and sat in his office chair. Terrified, Ifrin backed away to avoid touching him.
Deculein spoke pityingly.
"What mage gets so startled by magic."
"Wh-what…… kind of magic is that?"
"Mirror Magic."
Ifrin eyed the mirror he'd just exited. It didn't look like a special artifact.
"Ifrin. You've been coming and going without permission lately."
"Th-the door was open…… And those documents were important, you said."
"Three demerit points."
"……Lock the door then."
Deculein tore open the documents on the desk and signed them with his fountain pen.
Right after.
—Here we go!
A loud voice boomed through the office. Adrienne's childish, clear tone.
—Hello! It's Chairman Adrienne!
"What is this."
Ifrin glanced at the document Deculein had signed. The title read [Next Chairman Candidacy Confirmation].
Next Chairman Candidacy Confirmation
—My term is almost up! So today, at last! I'll announce the next chairman candidates!
"Ifrin. If you have time to spare."
"Ah, no. I'm going."
At Deculein's rebuke, Ifrin hurried out of the office.
Adrienne's voice echoed loudly even in the 77th-floor corridor.
—Candidate No. 1: Head Professor Deculein! Candidate No. 2: Leader of the 'Two-Cube School,' Her Majesty-approved high mage Ihelm!
Ifrin pressed the elevator button. Roahawk delivery would arrive soon.
—My evaluation criteria are purely performance! Anonymous judges will assess too! Successor announcement this winter—or spring! Not long now, right?!
Ding—!
The elevator arrived at the 77th floor. Ifrin frowned at the person inside.
Tall, blond sleazebag.
"Oh~?"
Candidate No. 2, Ihelm. Unlike Ifrin's scowling face, he smiled welcomingly.
"Hey~ Iphari."
"……"
"What, you mad?"
Ihelm wedged his foot in the closing elevator door. Thunk! It reopened.
Tsk— Ifrin clicked her tongue and stepped in.
"What's with the attitude, Iphari? Did I do something wrong?"
"I clearly said Ifrin, didn't I?"
"That name's too desert-y. Iphari feels more friendly, don't you think?"
"……"
Ifrin shut her mouth entirely.
Vrrr— The elevator plunged sharply. In the silence, Ihelm spoke in a conspiratorial whisper.
"Iphari. You gonna let Deculein become chairman?"
"……"
"Then your dad's buried forever. Never acknowledged."
"……Goddamn it."
Dad this, dad that—always the same bullshit.
Gritting her teeth, Ifrin glared at Ihelm. He smirked and continued.
"Deculein's paper presentation is coming up. Think he'll even consider your dad, the original author and owner? Nah, he'll erase him completely."
"Goddamn it! Why keep bringing up that—!"
Ifrin shrieked. Ihelm handed her a sheet of paper.
"Take it."
"What's this."
"Witness application."
"……What?"
"I plan to call you as a witness at the upcoming 'hearing.'"
Ifrin looked at the paper. [Chairman candidate 'Ihelm' hereby requests Soda-rank 'Ifrin' as a witness for the hearing……] and so on.
Chairman candidate of this Imperial University Tower, 'Ihelm,' requests Soda 'Ifrin' as……
"No—"
"Refuse if you want, no skin off my back. But know this: you're my only card to overtake Deculein."
"……So what."
Ifrin snapped curtly and gripped the paper to tear it.
"In other words, if you don't step up, Deculein becomes chairman for sure. And he'll bury your dad then."
Her hands froze.
Ding—!
The elevator arrived just then.
"Iphari. Why do you think Deculein keeps you around? What's his reason?"
"……"
"Think about it. Think."
Ihelm stared straight ahead at the open elevator doors.
"Guilt over a subordinate who killed himself under him? Pity for the daughter of that guy? Some cheap sympathy? No. Absolutely not."
"……What're you getting at."
Asking that, he tilted his head down to look at her. His soft blond hair cascaded like waves, crimson eyes drawing a deep arc.
"You're Deculein's 'Achilles' heel.'"
"……What."
"The best way to avoid a dagger to the chest? Don't hand it to anyone else. Keep it yourself."
"……"
Ifrin stepped out silently. Ihelm's voice drifted after her.
"That's why he keeps you close. So you can't have weird ideas. And if you do, he catches it fast as possible."
A delivery knight scanned around at the tower entrance. Ifrin rushed over.
"Roahawk delivery, right? That's me. How much?"
"300 elne."
As Ifrin rummaged for her wallet, Ihelm cut in.
"Want me to get it?"
"Ugh, fuck off already."
"Fine? Well, don't forget what I said. That witness form—keep it safe. It's the only way you cut down your dad's enemy with your own hands."
Ihelm patted her shoulder and left.
"……Here. 300 elne."
Ifrin pulled out 300 elne from her wallet.
"Yes. Enjoy~"
She got back in the elevator.
—That's why he keeps you close. So you can't have weird ideas. And if you do, he catches it fast as possible.
Ihelm's voice lingered in her ears.
Ifrin swallowed a sigh rising from her chest.
—If Deculein becomes chairman, your dad's buried forever. Never acknowledged.
She looked at the [Witness Application Form] in her hand.
Already crumpled like trash……
—That witness form—keep it safe. It's the only way you cut down your dad's enemy with your own hands.
She couldn't bring herself to tear it and pocketed it.
* * *
Origin: Mirror proved a more beautiful reward than expected.
No invincible "rainbow reflection" or anything, but possessing the phenomena of mirror "refraction" and "reflection" as talents.
Thanks to it, I could enter and exit mirrors like portals, wielding magic closer to acrobatics.
Of course, acquired just yesterday, I hadn't fully grasped it yet—
Knock knock.
Someone knocked. I opened the door with Telekinesis.
"Professor."
It was Premien. She carried a box under her arm.
"I've compiled everything related to Cielia."
Thud—! Premien set the box on the desk. It brimmed with reports.
She pulled out one file.
"This is the Monarch Sylvia file."
"……Monarch."
"Yes. Sylvia is now the same rank as you, Professor. For creating an artificial island in Floating Island orbit."
Monarch Sylvia.
I pondered deeply, then nodded. Not entirely free of jealousy.
"Read it. From the top, in order."
Premien sat. I lifted the file with Telekinesis. Read every sentence carefully, missing nothing.
"……"
Thud— I closed the file. Premien watched with hard eyes.
I asked.
"Is this true."
"My inference. But the 'truth'—you know it better, Professor."
"……"
I looked at the file again. Amid the thick documents, a singed letter.
The letter pierced my temple like an awl, reviving unknown memory fragments.
Did you think killing just you would suffice? That leaving like this ends it?
……Gloved hands strangled someone's throat.
This is no mere transaction. A wretched bitch like you has no value in life.
Deculein rages like a madman. His veined face lacks nothing of a demon.
Your husband Gilteon too, and that daughter you love so much—I'll kill them all.
He screams like in agony.
With all his innate malice, wailing like a curse.
I'll devour them all whole!
"……Professor?"
I looked up. Sudden headache made my eyes twitch.
"Are you alright?"
Premien eyed me suspiciously. I waved it off.
"Fine. Go now."
"No. Today is the [Sylvia Surveillance Team] meeting."
"……And?"
"Your attendance is requested."
Premien placed her hand on the box she'd brought.
"I've granted your request. Now it's your turn, Professor."