An Exclusive Magician, You Say? (2)
“Those teddy bears are bigger than I expected. Is it possible to make them smaller?”
Edina asked as she looked over the photographs.
The size was unsuitable for selling as souvenirs.
I smiled with confidence.
They would get weaker if they shrank, but making them smaller itself was no problem at all.
“Of course. I can make them in various appropriate sizes right away.”
“That’s a relief. You can add decorations too, right? Ribbons and such.”
“Yes.”
Decorations, huh.
I could process mana stones and attach them. The toys I’d seen in my past life had all sorts of decorations too—though of course, those had been attack-type magic tools disguised as ornaments.
Still, once my crafting skill went up a bit more, I figured I could implement something similar.
“Then please make five prototypes of each size, and for decorations, ribbons and clothes respectively…”
I carefully noted down every decoration Edina requested.
Somehow, they were starting to feel a lot like those Party Bears I’d seen in the game.
Aesthetic sense, it seemed, was more or less the same whether you were a magical beast or a human.
“Understood. I’ll make them just like this.”
“How long will production take? I’d love to watch the manufacturing process while we’re at it…”
“Ah, that’ll have to wait for later… Magic will be going into them eventually.”
“Hmm, come to think of it, you haven’t learned mana yet, have you? Once you study mana at Aegis, it should be perfectly doable. I’ll be looking forward to it.”
“Thank you!”
Elaine cut in with a bright smile.
“We’ll be heading out now, Mother. We’ve got a magic show to watch!”
But at that moment, Edina tilted her head.
“Am I not allowed to watch?”
“Uh, well… we said we’d keep it completely secret. Right, Pecia?”
Elaine looked my way.
I’d already told them I’d thoroughly conceal the magic tools and tricks.
But I just shrugged.
“It’s fine. I only meant I can’t reveal the methods at all. Honestly, the more people the better.”
That way, I could also check how well my hypnosis skill worked.
Elaine and her mother didn’t seem like the type my skills would work on at all, after all.
Besides, I hid my mana so well that even A-class Kang Jiye couldn’t detect it, so there was nothing to worry about.
Edina nodded with satisfaction.
“Wonderful. Then I’ll gather the estate staff.”
I picked up the bag I’d brought and asked,
“Thank you. Is there somewhere I can change?”
Elaine grabbed my right wrist.
“Come with me. But can I at least peek at what’s inside that bag?”
“Sorry, no.”
There were only empty boxes in there, after all.
“Haa…”
So I was putting this on again after all.
I pulled out Pecia’s exclusive costume for the first time in a while and put it on.
The moment I donned the outfit, a notification chime rang out.
Magician Queen Costume Set
1. All Stats +10(Level 15 Restriction)
— Skill Enhancement
2. ???(Level 30 Restriction)
“……!”
What the hell is this.
Something finally showed up?
I’d known Pecia’s exclusive costume had some kind of function, but there hadn’t been any sign of it until now, so I’d been wondering.
Who would’ve thought each effect had a level restriction. And such ridiculous ones at that.
My body feels lighter.
It was a buff practically equivalent to ten whole levels.
I hadn’t done a thing, and I was this much stronger. Was this what they called the dignity of a mid-boss?
“Then maybe this too?”
Just in case, I pulled out Pecia’s exclusive weapon as well.
Pop!
Attack Power: +50
1. Mana +300(Scales with Level)
+ Skill Acquired: Joker
2. ???
So this one had restrictions too.
Come to think of it, Gate Apocalypse had a setting like this.
You can only use items that match the grade of your body.
Without a certain amount of mana, even the finest item would have its efficiency plummet. That was why people scrambled desperately to find gear suited to their class.
In other words, you had to swap out your equipment every time you grew.
So Pecia’s costume was a legendary item that eliminated that hassle entirely.
Incredible.
Whether Pecia had originally grown this way, or whether this state only existed because I was a player—I had no idea.
But one thing was certain. In this life, too, the being known as Pecia was going to become a monster.
The absurd leveling speed alone was enough to leave me speechless, and on top of that, her exclusive items were legendary.
If I cleared a Gate in this state, just how explosive would my growth become?
“Pecia, are you almost done?”
“Ah, I’ll be right out!”
I decided to think about it later.
Whatever the case, I still needed to earn that toy production fee.
The moment I finished preparing and stepped out, Elaine shrieked.
“Kyaa! Pecia!!”
“Wh-what, what!”
Her mouth fell open like a frog’s.
“How can you be this adorable? It’s so stylish! What’s with this design? Wow, and the quality is great too?”
“That’s—”
“I have to take pictures of this. Come here for a second. Butler! Bring the camera!”
I was suddenly seized by Elaine and dragged this way and that.
And she wasn’t just snapping photos casually on a smartphone—a middle-aged man who was apparently the butler was shooting me with a dedicated camera.
Caught off guard, I ended up striking pose after pose for what felt like forever. By the time it was over, half my energy had been drained before the magic show had even begun.
The frenzied sounds of an excited girl still rang in my ears.
“Th-that’s enough now…”
“How about one more by the fountain over there?”
I glared at Elaine.
“I’m just going home.”
Elaine jumped in alarm and scrambled to reply.
“Ahh, I’m sorry! Let’s go, let’s go.”
Come to think of it, Elaine was a second-year middle schooler by our standards.
The age where you’d giggle and squeal just from seeing a dog walk by. There was no way she’d sit still with something she liked right in front of her. Though I still had no idea which part of me she’d latched onto.
At any rate, I finally managed to stand before an audience.
A full ten minutes after I’d changed clothes.
Edina gave me a sympathetic smile.
“You’ve had it rough because of Elaine.”
……
I quietly bowed my head and began the magic show in earnest.
I gave my cape a flourish and spun once in place…
Fwaat!
A candy-cane-patterned umbrella wand materialized in my right hand.
A dozen or so men and women let out a simultaneous “Ohh—”
Elaine and Edina simply smiled in silence.
I immediately tossed the wand into the air and burst it.
Pop!
Dozens of playing cards appeared amid a puff of white smoke, drifting freely through the air. And in that moment—
What do I do?
The truth was, I hadn’t planned a single thing about the show.
Magic, by nature, demanded not only quick hands but also meticulous staging for each technique. Naturally, I had zero professional knowledge of any of that.
I’d casually watched a few videos, but they’d been bleached clean from my brain in no time.
“Eii!”
I just flailed my cape around wildly and reclaimed the cards and wand. I figured I’d start over from the beginning.
But the audience’s eyes went round at the sight.
“What?”
“Oh my.”
Thinking I’d been found out, I broke into a cold sweat—until:
“Did you see that just now? They vanished all of a sudden!”
“Her hand technique is seriously amazing. And she’s just a kid.”
……
Perfect. Now’s my chance.
Hypnosis (E)
Targets: 11 individuals
Mind-control skills worked most effectively when the target’s guard was down.
Of course, I wasn’t harming anyone—I was just making them perceive my magic as perfectly ordinary sleight of hand.
And drawing out a few reactions while I was at it.
The hypnosis succeeded on everyone except Edina.
She was probably still wary of me. I hadn’t expected success from the start, so I wasn’t particularly flustered.
At any rate, the magic proceeded smoothly.
I pulled a dove from my hat, burst the dove into a rain of candy and chocolate, then swept it all up again and spun it into cotton candy.
A thoroughly slapdash performance.
But the audience’s reaction was electric.
“Whoa!! Did you see that? The cards just multiplied in her hands!”
“I know! I’ve seen it several times and it’s still amazing!!”
“The best! She’s the best! Holy crap, that was insane!”
“Ugh, sob…”
Yikes. That’s way too much.
People were getting worked up way too easily over nothing. Getting moved to tears over a little magic show? Come on.
Sure enough, Edina looked at the tearful female staff member with a puzzled expression.
I hastily revised the skill’s content in a panic.
H-Hypnosis! You’re just acting right now to hype me up.
The woman’s tears cut off instantly.
“Ah— she was just so good I started crying. That kid’s really something, huh?”
“……”
Thankfully, Edina snorted a laugh at that and looked away.
I wiped cold sweat from my chest in relief.
Almost blew it. Get it together.
If I kept going any further, a major screw-up was bound to happen.
I showed a few more “appear and vanish” tricks, then roughly wrapped up the show.
The estate staff all gave glowing reviews before returning to their posts, and I waited for Edina’s overall assessment.
She pondered something carefully, then opened her mouth.
“Miss Pecia.”
“Please just call me Pecia.”
Edina nodded.
“Very well. Pecia, would you be interested in signing an exclusive contract with our family?”
Elaine’s face lit up with astonishment as she stared at Edina.
I tilted my head.
“Pardon? An exclusive contract?”
“Your magic is remarkably polished. Most magicians’ sleight of hand tends to get caught by the eyes of ability users, you know.”
……
I carefully hid the jolt that ran through me.
“Is that so.”
“Of course, the structure of the show still has a few shortcomings.”
Well, that stood to reason.
These rich folks had been exposed to every kind of cultural entertainment imaginable. That would naturally include professional magicians’ shows.
Compared to theirs, mine wasn’t even worth comparing.
Edina’s smile deepened.
“But the technique itself was perfect. I watched with both eyes wide open, and I couldn’t figure out a single trick.”
“Y-you’re too kind. I don’t actually know that many tricks yet.”
“Which means you’ve thoroughly mastered the ones you do have. In anything, it’s better to learn narrow and deep than shallow and wide. That’s a rare attitude at your age.”
Somehow, Edina was wearing an easy smile as she said it.
My conscience shredded to tatters like a hedgehog’s hide, I bowed my head slightly.
“…Thank you.”
Edina shook her head.
“We’re the ones who should be thanking you. So, what do you say? Want to try being our exclusive magician?”
“What exactly does an exclusive magician do?”
“Exactly what it sounds like—you take jobs from us. We connect you with shows, and when we hold parties at the estate, you perform.”
“Ah, I see.”
“Of course, the pay will be quite decent. A separate monthly salary, plus incentives for every performance. How about it? For reference, the fee for the show you just did is one million won.”
“……!”
A few days later.
Riiip—!
“Gyaaaaaah!!”
That was the sound of Kang Jiye tearing my cheeks.
The moment I confessed what had happened at Elaine’s estate, her expression turned terrifying and she launched into a scolding.
“If you needed money, you should’ve just told me. Instead you’re out there running scams? Do you even know what kind of place that is?”
I know. I know perfectly well.
I grabbed her wrists and flailed.
“Th-the greatest magic family in all of Korea!”
Kang Jiye’s eyes blazed.
“So you do know, you little troublemaker. If you knew, why did you do it?”
“I’m thorry.”
“Do you even understand what you’ve done?”
“I-I do.”
“Knowing makes it even more ridiculous. How are you planning to clean this up afterward?”
“But it wath tho thrillin’.”
“……”
Kang Jiye’s hands tightened once more.
Riiiiip—
“Gyaaaaaah!! Y-Yena! Yena’s preschool pickup is soon!”
She shoved her face right up to mine as I writhed in agony.
“Promise me. From now on, you’ll consult me before you do anything.”
“Yes. Yes!”
Only after a long, thorough scolding did she finally let me go.
Damn it. That hurt like hell.
I sat on the sofa and cupped both cheeks in my hands. The swelling was real enough, but the bigger purpose was keeping Kang Jiye from pinching them again.
I grumbled at the TV.
I’m not even her real daughter, you know.
Honestly, the ones who’d been scammed were the Ispellen family—so why was Kang Jiye the one getting angry?
I’d put on a never-before-seen magic show, made people happy, and brought home money. She should be praising me. Pinching my cheeks? Was this a logically sound situation?
Any other guardian would’ve been patting my butt and saying, “Well done, you little money-maker.”
I ought to just report her to child protective services.
Of course, saying that out loud right now would only start another disaster, so I quietly pretended to reflect.
Fortunately, a short while later, Kang Jiye seemed to feel a little bad. She examined my face and tried to make peace.
“Does it hurt? Did I grab too hard?”
“No.”
“Are you sulking?”
“I’m not sulking.”
“I’m sorry.”
“I said I’m not sulking.”
Honestly, my feelings were hurt.
Today I planned to just sit here quietly and pretend to sulk. That way she wouldn’t mess with me so freely.
She gazed at me with a pitying smile, then pulled my shoulder close and gently hugged me.
Hmph.
And then—
A piece of news that burst from the local broadcast made me spring up like a coil and open a Gate.