Chapter 18
Chapter 18
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: Helen's Humiliating Illusion
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Helen Silvesta watched as the surroundings suddenly changed at the magician's gesture.
“Hmph, typical illusion magic.”
She had learned that the level of illusion magic was generally determined by how closely the created illusion resembled reality.
The closer the illusion was to reality, the higher the level of illusion magic.
The shabby shop space from moments ago had transformed into the Imperial Academy she attended.
The place where she stood was the central corridor of the Imperial Academy.
It was the path leading to the undergraduate classrooms.
The floor was made of marble, and the walls bore the Imperial Academy's symbol: the golden quill.
Helen ran her hand over the symbol.
The cold, golden texture felt vividly real.
“Hoo?”
It fooled not only her sight but also her sense of smell and touch, indicating a fairly advanced level of illusion magic.
But that was it.
“Not bad for an illusion mage holed up in some back alley?”
She had heard that the illusion mage, Max, was quite talented.
Had he not taken the wrong path of illusion magic, she might have recommended him for service to her family.
Creating an illusion this identical to reality meant that woman must have trained here as well.
She must have simulated various wars through this illusion and relived battles to gain prior experience.
Her abnormally high win rate undoubtedly stemmed from this.
But this alone wouldn't reveal any weaknesses.
‘If it was just for training, she wouldn't have run from me.’
There's clearly something she's hiding from me.
I just don't know what it is.
This man had merely shown her the academy's illusion.
“Hey, illusion mage. This isn't enough. I wanted something solid to grasp Yuris's weakness. At least give me a clue!”
But no response came.
“Hey, illusion mage!”
What the hell has this damned illusion mage done to me?
Helen furrowed her brow and scanned her surroundings.
She had learned at the Imperial Academy that since illusion magic wasn't perfectly real, one could dispel it anytime if they recognized its existence.
-Illusion magic is called the lowest grade for a reason. No matter how powerful the mage, it has no combat ability. It's easily dispelled. So, students, if you fall victim to illusion magic, stay calm and look around.
The professor had cast illusion magic on the undergraduates, and half the students escaped it.
The time it took Helen to break free from the professor's illusion was a mere three minutes.
No matter how talented this place's mage was, he couldn't surpass that.
‘It's illusion magic, so there must be a flaw to exploit.’
She knew full well that mere illusion magic couldn't harm her anyway.
So, she needed to carefully search and find a way out.
Helen called upon her spirit.
‘For scouting the surroundings, a wind spirit or earth spirit would be best, right?’
But the spirit did not respond.
“......What?”
Even when she recited the contracted incantation again.
......
The spirit did not appear.
“This can't be happening?”
Even in the professor's illusion, the spirits had answered her call.
Why now?
“That man's illusion is stronger than the professor's?”
No matter that he wasn't an illusion mage, he was professor-level.
A mage with that level of magical understanding could wield other schools' magic at an advanced level too.
To surpass even such a professor.
She had never heard of an illusion that sealed one's abilities.
“Damn it, could he be in cahoots with Yuris...?”
She had trusted that man too easily.
Damn it.
She had overlooked the possibility that he was already aligned with Yuris.
No wonder things had gone so smoothly.
To dare touch a Silvesta.
“Once I escape this illusion, I'll have him arrested for insulting nobility and thrown in jail.”
Rotting in prison would teach him whose side to take.
It was then.
“Huh? Isn't that Lady Silvesta?”
A group of undergraduates approached her.
They were students whose existence she hadn't even noticed.
They must all be puppets created by the illusion.
Illusion magic shapes its forms based on the user's memories and the caster's.
She ignored the slovenly approaching undergraduates—no, the thugs—and searched for flaws in the illusion.
But these illusion puppets showed no intention of letting her off easily.
“Get lost. You're just puppets in an illusion.”
“What's this girl saying?”
“She's calling us illusions?”
“Keuk, has this girl finally lost it? I might've too.”
“Losing that prized spirit affinity she bragged about, of course.”
The thugs muttered among themselves.
They weren't worth engaging.
They weren't real anyway.
They were probably guardians conjured by the illusion magic to prevent her from finding flaws.
“Move aside. I don't have time for you.”
As she tried to pass them, a thug grabbed her wrist.
“Hey, don't ignore us. I'm talking to you.”
This bastard dares?
A mere illusion dares grab Helen Silvesta's hand?
“You bastards! Do you know who I am?”
Normally, she would drive away such low-class humans with spirit magic, but with the spirits ignoring her contract's call, Helen couldn't use spirit magic now.
“Of course we do. The undergrad flunk-out abandoned by the Silvestas.”
“What?”
“You lost all your spirit affinity, can't even use spirit magic, so academy admission's a pipe dream, but your ego's through the roof. The flunk-out. Haven't you heard?”
“What are you...”
“The Silvestas ditched you. Said you're trash that just burns money and tarnishes the family honor.”
The thug spouted nonsense.
Her family would never abandon her.
She was the precious daughter of Duke Silvesta, after all.
She called upon her spirit to shake off the thug's hand gripping her arm.
But again, no spirit appeared.
What returned was.
“Kuhahaha!”
“Kekeke!”
“Damn, that's hilarious. Look, she's still chanting to spirits like she hasn't woken up.”
The thugs' mockery.
Her face flushed crimson at the jeering she'd never experienced before.
It was her first taste of humiliation.
This was unprecedented.
Who would dare mock a lady of the Silvesta family?
They'd lose their heads the moment they did.
“Th-this...”
Perhaps because it was her first time facing something like this.
Even knowing it was an illusion, the shame didn't fade.
“If my father knew you were doing this...”
Slap!
“Kyaaak!”
A burning pain stung her face, and her head snapped to the side.
“Abandoned by your family, wandering around in rags, and you still think you're a duke's daughter? Huh?”
One side of her face burned.
Did I just get slapped?
It was incomprehensible.
How dare anyone slap Duke Silvesta's daughter?
It burned.
She felt pain she shouldn't from an illusion.
Hadn't they said illusion magic couldn't harm the body?
They'd said it was physically safe.
Why does it hurt?
As doubts about illusion magic swirled in her mind.
With her head turned, she finally looked down at her clothes.
Helen was wearing the tattered outfit she so despised.
“Wha...?”
“Now do you get your situation? Abandoned orphan bitch?”
“Your daddy ditched you.”
“Th-this can't be...”
The thugs left, ignoring her trembling in shock for the first time.
“Tch, no fun.”
“Let's go.”
“If you've come to your senses, drop out and scram. We don't want trash like you dirtying our academy.”
The thugs departed.
Helen, clutching her cheek, sank to the ground and repeated to herself.
“This is an illusion.”
A vicious one crafted by the mage on Yuris's orders.
Made specifically to torment her.
She wouldn't forget that the mage had dared insult her like this, no matter how much Yuris paid him.
“Mage, I'll make you pay, crush you utterly. Just wait.”
Biting her lower lip, Helen gritted her teeth and stood.
Her left cheek still burned from the man's slap, but she couldn't stay like this.
She had to find a flaw in the illusion quickly and confront the mage again.
Then demand Yuris's information properly.
Hand it over unless he wanted to die to the Silvesta family.
“The Imperial Academy is an illusion made by a man who's never been here. There must be tons of places he couldn't replicate perfectly.”
Helen wandered around, scrutinizing every detail.
She desperately wanted to strip off the trashy tattered uniform, but even in an illusion, she had no hobby of walking around naked.
Once she recognized it as illusion, the uniform would revert anyway.
It was while Helen roamed the interior.
“H-hey, Helen... A-are you okay?”
A voice that drained her energy just to hear rang out.
“Who are you?”
It was that loser.
The loner from some poor background who couldn't even afford a proper uniform.
That guy dared call her name.
Helen, not Lady Silvesta.
A creepy sensation like bugs crawling over her skin made her recoil in disgust.
Annoying. So annoying.
What the hell is wrong with everyone?
Since entering that mage's illusion, more and more had dared confront her.
Saying the Silvestas abandoned her.
Saying she'd lost her spirit affinity.
All just illusions.
Illusion puppets daring to...
“Do you know who you're calling by name so casually?”
“H-hey, Helen, why are you like this? We were good together.”
“What?”
What nonsense is this loser spouting?
“D-don't you remember? We're the top couple acknowledged by all the undergrads.”
“What are you talking about?”
Couple?
Me and you?
“Stop with the disgusting lies.”
“You really don't remember, huh.”
She turned to escape the loser.
But as she turned, the loser grabbed her hand.
“Where you going? We have a date.”
“Get off! You're annoying!”
She needed to return to reality, yet these pests kept interfering.
“Still denying reality? Lost in dreams of the past again? Fine. I'll make it real for you.”
“...What?”
Helen couldn't follow the loser's words.
The loser, having finished speaking, pulled out a small crystal orb.
It was a recording crystal.
And from that crystal orb.
“Hnngh, ahhn... Right there, feels so good...”
An image played of Helen, hands bound, having her breasts groped.
“Wh-what is this...”
“Remember now?”
A vile disgust enveloped her entire body.
Daring to record a fake video insulting me?
I'll kill you.
Kill you.
I'll kill you right now.
This man too.
That mage too.
“How dare you... toy with a Silvesta...”
It was then.
“This won't do.”
The suddenly approaching loser roughly grabbed her breast.
“Kyaaak! Wh-what are you...”
Without spirit power, Helen was just an ordinary noble lady.
Even against a loser, she lacked the strength to break free from his grip.
“You seem to have forgotten, so I'll remind you.”
The loser's hands began groping her breasts more brazenly.
“We were good together, right?”
“D-don't...”
It felt strange.
Why?