Chapter 45
Chapter 45
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 45
Chapter Title: Helen's Proposal
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"I'll be waiting."
With those final words, the marquess returned to the Silvesta territory.
Helen’s mind was a whirlwind as she saw off the family head.
Being named a candidate for the next head was something she had always wanted.
It should have been a joyous occasion, but a heavy stone weighed on her heart, leaving her uneasy.
"Your reaction is more lukewarm than I expected."
Was he reading her demeanor?
Veron asked with his usual sly smile.
"I'm happy. It's what I've always wanted. Right now, I'm savoring the greatest joy I can muster."
"Then why the long face?"
She looked up at Veron.
Her brother, three years her senior.
He was the closest among her siblings, the one she'd spent the most time with.
She'd tease him about always losing to Yuris, but their bond was strong enough that she'd attend his matches in person.
She knew well the reasons behind his decision to give up the succession.
-I’m going to become the empire’s greatest knight. I don’t want to think about anything but training with the sword.
Veron had dreamed of becoming the empire’s top knight since long ago.
Helen had watched him practice relentlessly day after day, closer than anyone.
She knew better than anyone how serious he was about the sword.
Just as Helen knew Veron inside out, he knew her equally well.
He knew that if she were truly thrilled, she'd be jumping for joy the moment the head left.
"Anyone seeing you would think you hate going back home."
Helen bit her lip at Veron's words.
"That's not it."
She wanted to become the Silvesta head more than anyone.
She had pursued the family's perfection so relentlessly because it was the house she would one day lead.
"You don't think I can tell when you're wearing your happy face?"
"......"
How could she put it into words?
That it was because of the man who had utterly defeated her in illusion, implanting the emotion of defeat.
"...I don't know why you're hesitating, but to grasp the goal you've always wanted, you need to know when to let something go."
There was more conviction in Veron's words than ever.
After all, he was the one who had forfeited the next head position for his own dream.
"I know."
"It's not my place to force you, but I hope you make a wise choice."
"......"
With that, Veron gathered his things.
"I've got some unfinished business, so I'll head out first."
Helen quietly watched her brother's back as he returned to the knights' order.
In that moment, she felt a fraction of the weight of his choice.
"Haa."
What should she do?
Lost in thought for a moment, Helen bit her lip.
"Thinking alone won't lead to any conclusions."
In that case, she should go see for herself.
Go to Max and ask.
Ask if he planned to go to the Silvesta territory with her.
"Let's go."
She hurriedly prepared to head out.
"......"
On the way to the Hall of Illusions.
Passing through the shopping district, Helen stopped dead in front of one store.
Thin-rimmed round glasses.
She'd heard they were trending among noblemen lately.
Some wore them for practicality, but they were popular enough that others used them purely for fashion.
The moment she saw the glasses, she pictured Max wearing them.
-Are you admitting you're a failing student?
Professor Max's icy retort in the illusion.
His demeanor there had been sharp as an icicle.
-My eyes aren't that bad. I don't need glasses for that.
The real Max had a somewhat more rugged vibe.
Surprisingly solid build.
Intelligence sharp enough to handle complex illusion magic in one go.
The only difference from his illusion self was a slightly more affable personality.
'They'd suit him well.'
Helen imagined Max while gazing at the displayed glasses.
Max in square horn-rimmed glasses.
Max in thin round-rimmed ones.
Max in sleek square frames that felt sharper than horn.
Images of Max in various glasses flooded her mind like a broken projector.
As she conjured countless versions of Glasses Max, an image of Max shrugging popped into her head.
-I’m not flush enough to spend money on something like that.
As he said, glasses weren't cheap.
They trended only among nobles because of their exorbitant price.
Both the lens-making technique and the thin frames required costly craftsmanship beyond common means.
Prices varied wildly depending on the frame material.
Even the cheapest, steel, used Clamio steel sensitive to mana.
Rare to specific regions, it cost as much per weight as gold.
'Should I buy one as a gift? Would he like it?'
She imagined presenting the displayed glasses to the current Max.
'They'd suit him pretty well.'
Snapping out of it, Helen shook her head.
'Get a grip. What am I thinking?'
Gifting such expensive glasses out of the blue would surely seem odd.
It wasn't something to give lightly.
To Silvesta Helen, it was a mere trinket, but to commoner Max, a lavish luxury.
'He's just the owner of the shop I frequent.'
What's wrong with giving glasses as a gift?
Her inner voice whispered it was fine.
But.
'No. We're not that close. Giving something this pricey would burden him.'
Rumors could spread too.
Unnecessary gossip about the Silvesta daughter entangled with some illusion mage.
She hadn't even properly secured her heir candidate spot.
In this situation, scandals could be fatal.
Now was the time to keep body and behavior impeccable.
'Good restraint. No needless misunderstandings.'
Patting her chest in relief, she headed to the Hall of Illusions once more.
"This should prevent any immediate sparking issues."
After maintaining the magic circle, I wiped the sweat from my brow.
I'd patched the durability flaw exposed by Yuris adequately.
For now, the 'noise phenomena' from structural failures were fixed by layering reinforcement magic circles.
I couldn't solve the root cause—temporary shorts from information overload—but I'd boosted processing durability for higher computational levels.
Master would freak out when she returned and saw how I'd finished it.
'This is the best I can do right now.'
Until Master's reply came, this temporary fix would have to suffice.
"This should hold unless someone's extremely excited."
I was doing a final check on the repaired circle when.
Knock knock knock.
A customer.
"Oh, it's been a while."
It was Helen.
"What brings you at this hour?"
She usually came after academy classes ended around 5 PM.
She'd dropped by after lunch on days with only morning classes, but this was the first time before lunch.
"The academy's off today."
"Ah, right, it's a holiday."
"Can I come in?"
"Of course."
She entered, hesitating before sitting at the consultation table.
"Here for the sequel to that previous video?"
"No."
"Then a new one."
"That's not why I came today... I have a proposal."
"A proposal?"
"Yeah."
After a brief silence, she looked at me and spoke.
"Want to come to the Silvesta territory with me?"
"Pardon?"
"I think very highly of your skills, Teacher—no, Max. Not just because the illusion from that circle was good... W-well, it was good! But aside from that, I see you as an exceptional illusion mage."
Stumbling over her words, Helen sighed deeply.
"So I'd like you to use that talent for me. Not just me, but for the Silvesta family."
"Are you scouting me?"
"Exactly. The position would be chief mage of the territory. If I become head, I can even make you captain of the territory's mage corps. No one in the territory would dare question any magic you use."
Scouting, huh.
What a novel word.
How often does one scout an illusion mage?
"I know the Silvesta family's power comes from vast farmlands, mines, premium grapes, and wine. Doesn't seem like there's much for me to do there."
"We'll make work. If I'm head, there's no need to look. Who'd complain to me?"
A stronger resolve shone on Helen's face than ever.
This is tricky.
Talented guys have it rough.
"Sorry. I appreciate the offer, but I'll decline."
"...You mean it?"
"Yes. This is work I do because I love it. If I got scouted to your territory, I couldn't do what I want."
"Y-you can still do it! I'll be your customer..."
"Not enough."
"What?"
"I opened this shop to extract and fulfill various people's desires. Catering only to yours isn't what I want."
In this fantasy world, make fap material anyone can use.
That was why I started this shop.
It was why I'd discarded all other magics for illusion.
Following Helen Silvesta to become her territory's mage could prevent me from doing what I wanted.
Territory mages must report all their magic to superiors, even video contents.
'Even if Helen guarantees maximum convenience, interference is inevitable.'
Plus, working for the territory might make true fap production impossible.
To maintain a position as territory mage, I'd need constant results.
Even Helen couldn't cover for me indefinitely if I just made fap stuff.
'The Silvesta territory, prestigious as it is, won't have the capital's diversity.'
The imperial capital was the world's center, blending all cultures and races.
With crowds came writhing desires in variety.
The more diverse the desires faced, the richer the works—my creative philosophy.
I'd laid my mat in a prime spot; no reason to move.
Helen bit her lip at my words.
"You mean it?"
"Yes. Sorry."
"Didn't expect rejection."
"If the shop goes bust later, offer again then."
"There might not be a next time."
"Then I'll have no choice. Day labor it is."
"......"
Helen puffed her cheeks, face sulky.
"Fine. I won't force someone who doesn't want it."
"Heading back then?"
"No."
"You said no video today..."
"Changed my mind."
Arms crossed, Helen glared at me.
"Show me the absolute best you have today."
"You won't be satisfied with the previous sequel."
"I'll leave that to the shop owner's judgment."
"Then, shall we do a questionnaire on fresh paper for old times' sake?"
I handed her a questionnaire sheet.