Chapter 93
Chapter 93
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 93
Chapter Title: Crown Hall Hypnosis App Capture Operation -1
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In front of the large carriage heading to Crown Hall, a strange standoff was unfolding with me serving as the shield. Pingbalrez and the Magic Tower Master were staring intently at each other.
However, the meanings behind their gazes were vastly different. Pingbalrez's was the obvious gaze of a wildcat. The Magic Tower Master's was the cowered look of a hamster before a cat.
The Magic Tower Master hid behind my back, glaring at Pingbalrez. It seemed her wariness had maxed out at 100% after that one encounter with the "Kraken."
She patted my back and asked,
"...Why is she here with us?"
"I was hoping to travel alone with you, Magic Tower Master."
"I asked her. When I mentioned reporting her unauthorized movement as an Ascended Awakener to her superiors, even the crazy mage graciously allowed herself to tag along."
"...That's blackmail?!"
The Magic Tower Master's twin tails bristled upright.
Pingbalrez knelt on one knee with refined grace, offering a single rose to the Magic Tower Master as she soothed her. She adjusted her facial muscles to form the most handsome expression possible. Sunlight glinted off her glasses.
"I merely wished to spend even a brief moment with such a lovely lady. Forgive my selfishness. But the flame in my heart that grows hotter each day whenever I think of you has now become...
"...Hngh."
The Magic Tower Master softened a bit under Pingbalrez's passionate courtship gaze. As if that wicked hand was reaching out for our Magic Tower Master.
Smack. I blocked Pingbalrez's face with my palm and pressed down firmly. She warned me coolly.
"You're getting fingerprints on my glasses. You could die for that, crazy mage."
"Yeah, that's exactly what I was going for. Alright, hop on, hop on. Let's go. The coachman's waiting."
"Uh, yeah...!"
I led Pingbalrez and the Magic Tower Master onto the carriage. Since there were no students heading to the capital during term time, the huge carriage had just the three of us as passengers. This would be a comfy ride.
I'd meticulously cleaned Pingbalrez's glasses for her. The moment she went barefaced without them, she started flirting with the Magic Tower Master, so I'd been about to shin-kick her when she swiftly wrapped her legs around mine and mounted me.
Then she started pressing fingerprints all over my immobilized face. Payback for fingering her lenses, I suppose. It felt like getting a facial massage, so I didn't mind too much.
But struggling to escape her physical lockdown stirred my competitive spirit. Guess I can't match her up close.
So I tried shifting to magic territory, but the Magic Tower Master cutely swatted at Pingbalrez with both hands, yelling, "Hey, let him go quick!" It was so adorable that I let it go on a bit longer. Pingbalrez looked pretty satisfied too. The trip wouldn't be boring.
We even played Snap along the way. The Magic Tower Master was terrible at it.
Ding.
"...Hah!"
"Five bananas."
To be fair, it wasn't so much that the Magic Tower Master was bad—we were just too good. Me with my superior brainpower, and Pingbalrez with her physical prowess.
I could identify the cards just from their backs by memorizing tiny scratches, and Pingbalrez could spot them fast and ring the bell even faster.
The Magic Tower Master, caught between two whales, got smacked around gleefully.
She clutched her swollen, stinging hand and whined, so Pingbalrez and I took turns soothing her. We even ran a few handicap rounds by unspoken agreement.
"Oh dear, I thought it was grapes."
"Oopsie. Strawberries...?!"
Pingbalrez and I were pros at acting. The Magic Tower Master suspected the handicaps at first but soon reveled in the thrill of victory.
Watching her gleefully smack Pingbalrez's hand made me full without eating.
And so on.
Pingbalrez secured a "date" with the Magic Tower Master on the condition that she wouldn't report to her superiors. More precisely, she insisted on joining whenever the Magic Tower Master and I went out.
Thanks to all the fun games on the carriage, the Magic Tower Master seemed to have warmed up to Pingbalrez and looked excited at the thought of hanging out as a trio. Makes sense—who does she even have to play with otherwise?
Parties of three or more bring that rowdy fun that's hard to beat.
Still, she seemed a bit regretful on one hand.
Since we had plenty of time, I suggested we tour alone next time, and any lingering disappointment vanished from her face. The Magic Tower Master's happy expressions are always the best.
Happiness is great. Gotta make her even happier.
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Meeting someone as lofty as the Second Prince requires time. You can't just pop over like visiting the neighbor kid with a "Hey, I'm here! Come out!" So, it's standard protocol to wait a few days with some buffer.
Thanks to that, we had time to enjoy the imperial capital, Crown Hall.
None of us were picky about lodging. Even a scratchy straw mattress turns into a five-star fluffy bed with some Illusion Magic. We checked into a decent upscale inn and unpacked.
"Shall we go have some fun now?"
"Yeah...!!"
The Magic Tower Master nodded vigorously. She was so excited that fluffy cotton-candy-like illusions swirled around her. Then she suddenly stared at me intently and started deep breathing.
"Hoo... Haah..."
"Nervous?"
"...A little."
"Me too, maybe."
I tossed some bait to her flushed face. She bit immediately.
"...Why?"
"Thinking about dating you has me a bit worked up too."
"...!!!!"
Thump-thump. I could feel her heart pounding fiercely. No wonder—her face was red as a persimmon. The follow-up hit landed nicely.
It wasn't empty flattery. Not as much as her, but I was a little tense too. No idea why.
A desire to brew an even sweeter mood bubbled up—more impulse than anything. I gathered her hands in mine and pulled her gently closer.
And—
"Let's head out. You coming?"
"......"
"...Uh, y-yeah! Gotta go! Gotta go...!!"
The Magic Tower Master bolted away. Overwhelmed by excessive shyness triggered by external stimulus, she fled the scene.
I calmly gathered my things too. I'd visited Crown Hall back in my Virtual Hologram days earning research funds, but that was ages ago.
Plus, I'd heard the Second Prince was quite active, so there might be more changes than expected. That'd be a highlight of the trip.
But as we prepared to head out, a major dilemma arose. It started with Pingbalrez's offhand remark.
"So, how are we walking?"
"One foot at a time, alternating..."
"I mean positions."
Positions.
There are various formations for walking the streets. The classic high school girl "wing formation" that blocks everyone's path with top-tier defensive power.
Pingbalrez was asking about our travel order. It was indeed a serious matter. The Magic Tower Master, oblivious to its importance, floated a question mark above her head.
Pingbalrez's follow-up suggestion turned it into an exclamation point.
"How about the crazy mage on my left and you on my right, Magic Tower Master? Let's hold hands and walk side by side."
"I can feel your desires oozing out."
"...!!!!"
Realizing it was about whose skinship range we'd enter, the Magic Tower Master pondered deeply. Then she toddled over and gripped my hand tightly.
"I-I wanna hold your hand. I want to hold hands..."
"I'd like to hold hands with you, Magic Tower Master."
"That’s, um..."
"Then I'll have to link arms with the crazy mage."
"N-No, you can't...!!"
The Magic Tower Master squeezed her eyes shut and offered her hand to Pingbalrez. And so, our trio formation—Pingbalrez-Magic Tower Master-me—was set. It was, well...
"Doesn't this look like a family outing?"
"Sure does."
"?"
With the shortest one in the middle, it even resembled parents walking with their little daughter sandwiched between. Of course, if she asked if she looked that young, I'd say no.
As long as the Magic Tower Master looked happy wedged between friends, it was fine.
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Pingbalrez and the Magic Tower Master's interests were polar opposites.
Pingbalrez was surprisingly into accessories. She picked up a hairpin from a street stall, swept her bangs aside to try it on, then looked up at me.
"How's this? Pretty, right? It suits me perfectly."
"Mismatches with a suit."
"Of course, I'd wear it with a pure, innocent dress... or casual clothes."
"I see."
If she just kept quiet, she was a beauty—and with a slightly moist expression, it'd fit perfectly. I nodded in agreement, and Pingbalrez coolly bought it without haggling.
She picked up a bracelet made of woven flowers nearby and asked the Magic Tower Master,
"I'll get one for you too, Magic Tower Master. How about this? A bracelet."
"I-I'm not really into bracelets..."
The Magic Tower Master waved her hands in refusal. Wondering if it was polite deflection, I studied her face closely. Nope, she genuinely disliked accessories.
Come to think of it, aside from hairpins, I'd never seen her wear anything. Was it confidence in her pure beauty to crush all else?
Or some other reason?
On the flip side, the Magic Tower Master loved smashing anything. Spotting a shell game hustler multiplying money through scams, Pingbalrez and I planned to walk past.
"Be right back."
The Magic Tower Master obliterated the hustler's earnings in ten minutes flat.
"I-I definitely hid it under the left one, the left...!!"
The shell game shark got outplayed by a higher-level one. He slammed the table, stood, and pointed accusingly at the Magic Tower Master, raising his voice.
"Th-this is cheating!! You're scamming, aren't you?!"
"You're the one who scammed first... So, that means scams are fine, right? As long as you don't get caught."
The Magic Tower Master stammered out a comic-book line. She looked thrilled.
And the rest was predictable. Burly thugs lurking in alley shadows emerged, demanding the money back. One gesture from the Magic Tower Master, and they drooled on the ground.
Pingbalrez's attempt to score points by heroically blocking the thugs for the Magic Tower Master failed—she'd subdued them before she could intervene.
I saw Pingbalrez raise her fist awkwardly before pretending to look away sheepishly.
"Don't tease me, crazy mage."
"I didn't say a word."
"Put your eyebrow back in place."
Later, we passed a magic artifact shop where an employee was hawking wares enthusiastically.
"This shield bears the 'Melbert's Accuracy Reduction Field' developed by the mage Melbert, recognized even by the Violet Magic Tower! To any customer who breaks it, 10 gold!"
"......"
It was unfortunate that Violet Magic Tower's magic pulverizer—Yuna Violetiris, the "Walking Destruction" faster with low kicks than words—happened to pass by.
"Sugar coating..."
Fire lit in the Magic Tower Master's eyes. She still craved that sensation.
"Will the young lady give it a try? Even a ten-year veteran mercenary just failed—"
Tap. Crackle. Boom.
Doom descended on both the 'Melbert's Accuracy Reduction Field' and the shop's sales. The owner offered a pouch of 10 gold with a rotten expression, but I politely declined. If anything, we owed an apology.
Instead of the shattered shield, I applied a simple Illusion Magic. A hypnosis spell that made sheep appear when gazed upon.
This should be better than the previous sugar coating.
"Hehe... Crunch crunch."
"Truly impressive, Magic Tower Master."
Pingbalrez seized the moment of her good mood to lavish praise while ruffling her hair wildly. The Magic Tower Master purred contentedly.
"......"
The Magic Tower Master's destructive urges never crossed into real harm, but this time it nagged at me a bit. I filed it away in the back of my mind for later.
As for me?
"Oh. Crazy mage, look over there."
"Oh ho..."
I admired the pretty women passing by. As expected of the imperial capital—plenty showed off experimental fashions. Hats three heads tall, shoulder pads reaching the ears.
Then a boldly dressed female mercenary strode past, her outfit radiating boldness and grandeur. Pingbalrez and I stared entranced until the Magic Tower Master pinched my side furiously.
If I cast pain dulling, she'd shatter it instantly and pinch harder anyway. So it just hurt normally.
It was fun. Objectively, the content was nothing special—just wandering and sightseeing.
But with friends, even breathing is enjoyable. Time flew, and the sun was already dipping low.
"Then, time to..."
"Yes, let's."
"Head to a tavern with short-skirted uniforms."
My words overlapped with Pingbalrez's. Our intentions resonated, filling our hearts with infinite courage. Even if the Magic Tower Master twisted my thigh, we wouldn't back down.
"...Pervert."
"......"
...We wouldn't back down!
We walked side by side again.
Crown Hall's main streets bustled with people. After seeing only academy and tower faces, it lacked thrill, but walking this city really drove home that this was a fantasy world.
Mercenaries in leather armor, waitresses calling out "Our stew's piping hot—come to our inn!" Straight out of novels, but alive and moving.
Countless details unreadable from text flooded in. Scratches on that mercenary's gear suggested a preference for leading with the right shoulder. The waitress's smile hid boredom in her eyes.
Life becomes material. Noticing these passersby would fuel future TRPG sessions.
And that boy in the floppy hat deliberately bumping into me amid the crowd? Prime material too.
The boy collided with me on purpose. I accepted generously.
Thud.
"Ah, sorry! 'Scuse me!"
He bowed 90 degrees and dashed into the crowd. Textbook setup, almost welcoming.
I leisurely checked my belongings. Sure enough, the coin pouch tucked in my pocket had vanished cleanly. Sleight of hand: pass.
Pingbalrez asked curiously,
"Why let him? You could've chased him off."
"Wanted an interview. Won't take long—wait a sec."
I needed new modeling data anyway, and pro tips for implementing pickpocketing events.
This was fate too. I tinkered with the magic I'd planted on the boy. He'd think he'd escaped, then reappear before me.
I had no idea then.
That this would turn into such a massive ordeal.