The Party Waits Without End

His companions would be waiting for him without end.

He had to think of some way to tell them he was all right… but no matter how he turned it over, nothing good came to mind.

Best would be to reach the Sky Prison before the day is out.

There was no time to stand around like this.

They said I'd need the Illusion King's permission. Then I meet the king first.

Yujun kicked off the ground and leapt, and flight magic carried him up. He shot forward at full speed. He flew far faster than he could ever run, and this, too, was the Genius trait at work. It didn't look related. It was. Flight magic was still cast as Ancient Magic in the end, and Ancient Magic was a skill, which meant it fell under the Genius trait's influence. That his speed in the air had grown past all comparison with before was only ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠natural.

The world blurred past with a roar, fast enough to make his head spin.

I'm going to lose my mind at this rate.

Harp seemed to feel the same.

"Dad…… I'm dizzy."

"Keep your eyes shut."

"Okay! I'm not sleepy, but I'll try!"

He hadn't meant for the little one to sleep. At any rate, even Yujun, superhuman in mind and body, was dizzy enough to notice. Harp might not be able to endure it. Yujun raised a shield around him. At a speed like this, Harp could tumble right off his shoulder, and the shield was there against that.

At this pace, I ought to arrive before long.

He didn't know exactly where the Illusion Realm ended, but at this ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠clip, wouldn't he make it before dark? Whether the Illusion Realm even had a day and a night, he couldn't say.

The Illusion Realm was ruled, in every reach of it, by an absolute being: the Illusion King.

There, imagination was power and authority at once. Its people vied to see who could create the more mysterious, singular, and perfect world, and any of the illusion race who succeeded—whether the world was great or small—achieved tremendous growth. Level, of course, and skills and traits besides. That was the kind of place the Illusion Realm was.

And the absolute being who reigned over it was the Illusion King.

The Illusion King had three children. The eldest son, Sorsin. The eldest daughter, Heminine. The second son, Gonetogin. Of the three, Sorsin and Heminine had been born with extraordinary talent. Even as they grew, neither could be set above the other, and it was then that the Illusion King spoke words of great weight, to name the heir who would follow him.

The point of those words was that he had not limited who might take part. Everyone in the Illusion Realm could challenge the Illusion King's world, and what that meant was enormous. His children, who had quietly expected the heir's seat for themselves, grew anxious, while the players of the Illusion Realm were handed a chance that would never come again.

In the banquet hall, Sorsin and Heminine sensed a presence at the same moment. An uninvited guest had come to the Illusion Realm—or, more precisely, a player someone had forcibly summoned.

"Heminine. Was this your doing?"

"What was?"

"Don't play innocent. If someone forcibly summoned a person with this much mana, it would be me or you—and it wasn't me. So if not you, Heminine, then who?"

"It wasn't me either, so it must have been you, Brother. How greedy. I believe you called a player down from the Heavenly Realm not long ago as well……."

"Aside from our own race, the player we may bring along is one. You know that perfectly well."

"And?"

"I have already secured a cooperating player. I have no reason to call another."

"……If I had summoned them, why wouldn't they be at my side now? I have no reason to hide it."

"I heard a great explosion broke out during the summoning rite. No one appeared then, did they?"

"Were you spying on me?"

"I'd say that goes both ways."

"……."

Heminine had nothing to say to that. The two of them were rivals, competing to succeed the Illusion King. The same blood ran in them, and still it was a blood-spattered bond in which either might kill the other for the throne. Watching one another was not something that happened often. It was closer to daily life.

"So the player coming here now—you're saying I summoned them?"

"From the circumstances, I can't see it any other way."

"……."

It was true that her summoning rite had failed. Far from calling a player out of another world, a tremendous blast had erupted, and two maids nearby had lost their lives. She didn't know the identity of this player either, the one now ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠closing on the palace at frightening speed.

Don't tell me…….

The timing was too perfect. The banquet had only just begun, and her failed summoning had come right before it started. The player now flying in—or perhaps running—at a mad pace stood no small chance of being the very one she had tried to summon. If so, this was an opportunity.

I was going to attempt the rite again once the banquet ended anyway…… This works out.

A smile touched Heminine's lips. Even so, she could not simply wait for the banquet to end.

Wait. Isn't this too fast?

If the assumption she had just made held, then strictly speaking that player had not been invited. She had intercepted someone in transit through a wormhole. Should the player reach the palace with no explanation, there would obviously be an uproar, and her sly brother would brand them a rioter and try to dispose of them one way or another. She had to stop that.

There was no way Sorsin would miss what she was thinking.

"Heminine. And where do you think you're going?"

He asked it with a sneer.

"I have urgent business."

"How adorable you are, little sister."

"……."

Heminine pressed her lips shut and slipped out of the banquet hall. High in the distant sky, she caught sight of a single player hurtling in with terrifying force. She cast her flight magic in a rush, then loosed a great quantity of mana into the empty air to make her presence known.

About ten seconds passed.

A player came into view. The speed had dropped sharply; Heminine's intent seemed to have carried.

"Who are you?"

"Heminine. I summoned you."

Yujun's brow furrowed.

"What kind of bullshit is that?"

"……."

The gutter-talk threw her for a moment, but she didn't let it show. She extended a hand.

"You will obey my command."

An ominous mana poured from Heminine. On the surface it looked perfectly ordinary, but what that mana carried was wicked beyond measure. Yujun's expression hardened. It was not an attack, nor any magic that bound the body. Mind control—if one called it a kind of brainwashing magic, that would be about right. It came flying for his head. He tried to evade her power, but before he could so much as move, it was delivered straight into his mind.

"That startled me."

Equanimity had saved him. The reason he neither sought nor tried to obtain any separate mental barrier was that Equanimity already stood guard so firmly.

Heminine was aghast.

"How did you……."

"You just attacked me, didn't you?"

"Wait! I have a proposal!"

Yujun let out a hollow laugh.

"You try to brainwash me, fail, and now it's a proposal? Isn't that a little shameless?"

"It was an error in my judgment. I'll admit that."

"And admitting it ends the matter?"

"I'll apologize. I'm sorry."

"……."

In truth, he wasn't angry. There was something else he wanted to know.

"What do you mean, you summoned me?"

"It would take a long time to explain, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠so I'll keep it short. I am one of the leading candidates to become the Illusion King, and soon my father's world—the Illusion King's world—will open."

He had no idea what any of that meant, but he listened for now.

"Find the object that serves as that world's central axis, or break the world itself, and you can inherit the Illusion King's seat. That is why I summoned you. Do you understand?"

"Ah……. I couldn't tell you whether this Illusion King's world is one of them or four or five, but I understand perfectly well. You're an ill-mannered member of the illusion race who summoned some uninvolved stranger for your own profit, ignored what he wanted entirely, and went straight to brainwashing him while asking for help."

Heminine's face stiffened. However much he had been wronged, no one had ever flung words that insulting at her, a royal. Even her own brother, Sorsin, kept to a certain line. But this was a moment to kill her temper. The summoned player's ability looked outstanding. Let him go, and she would regret it deeply before long.

"I'm sorry."

"Well. Very well."

Yujun decided he would treat her with respect from here on—not because of the apology, but because this Illusion King's world reeked of experience and items.

My nose for items is uncanny. Gets so sharp it clogs.

Wait. If your nose is clogged, you can't smell anything, can you?

At any rate, his party was waiting, and he needed to reach the Sky Prison as soon as he could. He decided to set that aside for a little while.

There's no guarantee I can come back to the Illusion Realm… If I only take a quick look at how things stand before I go, Manuela will understand.

Not being able to send word was a problem, but he decided it was something he couldn't help, and moved on.

"What is my role? Do I simply need to enter this place you call the Illusion King's world?"

Slightly startled by the change in him, Heminine nodded.

"With me."

"You said the Illusion King's seat is passed on. Only the illusion race can become ruler of the Illusion Realm, correct? I'm human, so that wouldn't be possible for me."

"That's right."

"You aren't bringing any others of the illusion race?"

"In the Illusion Realm, trustworthy people are hard to find."

"So you summoned me. I can't take the Illusion King's seat, and there's no fear I'll betray you."

"That as well…… A player with real martial power is essential for breaking a virtual world. That is the greater reason."

"If I agree to go, would it be the two of us?"

"For now. Those who attend me will join later."

"Why?"

"It's an unspoken rule."

"There's no particular need to keep it, is there?"

"Nor any reason to break it. If I didn't have you, perhaps."

Doesn't she trust me a little too much?

Yujun found it odd, but decided to let it pass.

"Ah—and I was told the illusion race has no gender. Was I mistaken?"

"Mm… half right."

"Pardon?"

"Those of low, vulgar blood have no gender."

"You mean that's fixed from birth? And your side was born with a gender because the blood is noble?"

"Yes."

"Can those of the illusion race without a gender ascend the throne as well?"

"It's possible. Difficult, though."

"Why?"

"They wouldn't have the ability. If anyone shatters Father's world, they will come from among the royals. The odds are highest that it will be me, or Sorsin."

"Sorsin?"

"My older brother. The first prince."

"He must be exceptionally capable as well, I take it."

"That isn't all of it. The martial strength of those around him is tremendous. Enough that I wonder how he ever won them over."

"A formidable rival, then."

"You could say that."

"How do you rate your chances?"

"They don't clear thirty percent."

"Weren't the two of you supposed to be evenly matched?"

"That's how the world sees it…… I know how frightening my brother is. That's why I guard against him all the more."

"Sorsin knows that too, I suppose?"

"He could have stopped me from coming to meet you, and he deliberately let me be. He looks down on me."

"One more helper wouldn't matter?"

"No."

Having taken in the whole of it, Yujun smiled. Sorsin's conduct had no doubt sprung from confidence—but he would soon learn that it had been nothing more than arrogance.