20 – Banquet (1)
Why did she suddenly ask for a favor?
Puzzled, I realized from her next message that she had a small misunderstanding.
—–
Prinana: I didn’t perform well in the final magic tournament… and the fairies who went with me got hurt badly.
Prinana: I don’t have any face left to show.
Prinana: I was wondering if you, as a high-ranking sacred magician or with some superior-grade potions, could help me out.
Prinana: I’ll give you all my remaining points.
Prinana: But if it’s not enough… I’ll do whatever it takes, even if it means sacrificing myself.
—–
No wonder she never visited the hospital.
She seemed to feel guilty about just watching from the sidelines when I was fighting against Sian.
If she had interfered, it would have been even more dangerous, considering that the curse didn’t affect him.
Although I briefly considered the new candidate who rolled in like a tumbleweed, there was no need to increase the sub-administrators at this time.
Besides, would she really take an easy win against Judaki, with over 170,000 comments combined?
Since I already had the “Sacrifice Release Right” from the lottery, it was just a matter of throwing a straw.
There was no better way to remind her that I was playing on top of her head in the suffocating battle of the high-level masters.
From my perspective, collecting the points of “Prinana” would not only successfully conclude this magic tournament betting event, but also…
Administrator: Do you wish for your injured colleague to recover?
Prinana: Yeah, they treated someone like me well too, and honestly, I’m a little interested…
Administrator: So be it.
Prinana: What…?
From Noble mtl dot com
—–
With a brief word, the conversation came to an end.
Beyond the location note, it felt as if Prinana’s confusion was being transmitted.
When I successfully completed the point raid of all the users and celebrated my victory alone, grabbing the cake.
Suddenly, from the corridor, came the sound of heavy footsteps.
“Oh, senior.”
“Who were you just with?”
“No one. I was alone the whole time.”
“Are you okay?”
“Yes, I suddenly got better.”
Prinana, who had been conversing with me just a moment ago, opened the door as if she had no care for the excuse note for the visit.
Her disheveled hair indicated the speed at which she had rushed over here.
I reached out my hand to her, as she, with a pale complexion, scanned the room with her magic.
“What, what is it! Friendship fee? I won’t give you that. I don’t have money, and you and I aren’t even friends…”
“No, I thought it might calm you down if I held your hand.”
Click!
It was more appropriate to say that I was caught rather than caught.
The nerd’s temperament remained the same, but I was relieved that he had learned how to relax after the magic era.
Calmness is more important than anything else to a magician.
Something caught my fingertips as I was enjoying the slightly moist sensation that started to appear on the palm of my hand, along with the soft texture.
It was a familiar silhouette of a cursed doll made of straw.
“What is this?”
“A, a gift. I put a charm inside.”
“But we didn’t win, did we?”
“We came third, so it’s a low-level one. I don’t need it, so you can have it.”
It was not a simple doll, but a kind of magical tool that could impose three curses on its owner, Prina explained.
At first glance, it might seem like a disadvantageous item, but both poison and medicine were subjective.
“Since you don’t know how to use curses, I put them in. Insensitivity and photosensitivity. It will help you pass through the Grand Maze.”
“What about the other one?”
“….”
“Senior?”
“Well, anyway, if everything is fine, stop dawdling here and come up quickly! I’ll be waiting upstairs.”
It said it would reduce pain and make you react sensitively to light.
I never heard about the remaining curse, but since she wouldn’t harm me, I decided to accept it gratefully.
“Did you take the 10th floor qualification test in the Living Department?”
“No, I’m doing it now and planning to go down.”
There was no need for any more tricks, and since I had already taken care of the forum management, it was time to return.
I took the position note and the window and left the hospital room, riding the magic elevator with Freina.
As she watched me press the button to go upstairs, she gave me an awkward smile.
“Heh, heh, sounds good. Are you already excited about partying with the others?”
“Isn’t the Heaju School unpopular? That’s why I skipped the mission.”
“Are you stupid? That’s because you didn’t make it to the Magic Tower.”
Being a 5th-year student, ranked first in the Heaju School, it was generally impossible for me to recruit team members to enter the labyrinth.
But on the other hand, it was an achievement for a top-ranked magician from the Heaju School to achieve third place for the first time since the founding of the school.
And that was in the Magic Tower, where all the magicians below the 40th floor participated.
“Even if, hypothetically, you want to make friends, you can’t have a lover? For us, Heaju magicians, looking at anything other than magic is an unthinkable luxury.”
“But senpai, you’re a curse magician.”
“Is that important right now? This is an absolute rule of the school, a rule of the school that must be followed. Understand?”
“Yes, well…”
As we reached the 9th floor, I saw many people waiting for the evaluation.
Freina warned me not to form a party with the popular kids until she let go of my hand.
*
On each floor of the Magic Tower, there is a floor called the “Trial,” which is a kind of test.
Unlike the other floors used as research labs or rest areas for the school, this place is only accessible for climbing.
Even the administration of the Magic Tower cannot close or open this floor arbitrarily, and even the ecology inside is hidden from view.
That’s why the Department of Life meticulously checked whether those who wanted to enter the trial were truly qualified.
“Hmm, you failed the ‘Principles and Understanding of Dimensional Glass’ course?”
“Well, the professor kept changing the classroom…”
“The requests on the first floor also have low overall ratings. It will be difficult for you to enter the labyrinth.”
“What can I do? If I drop out, I’ll be a burden to the other team members…”
The grades of the courses on magical proficiency and mandatory classes during the apprentice years determine whether one can pass through the labyrinth, which requires completing seven requests from the 3rd to 9th floors.
During the “trials,” there were types where one could lose their life, so there was a high chance of a revolt if an unqualified magician was sent in.
Among the many magicians lining up to enter the Great Labyrinth, I spotted a familiar face.
“Is that Marie?”
It seemed like she had finished all the missions up to the 9th floor and came for evaluation.
She had worked so hard, but to come all the way up here crawling like this…
She seemed more interested in climbing the tower than completing paperwork, which made me feel slightly uneasy.
“If two people enter the labyrinth together, who will manage the guild during that time?”
I had been thinking about a good plan to keep her on the 1st floor for about five years, but it was my turn before I knew it.
The receptionist, who had a tired expression, looked surprised when I handed her the magic guild emblem instead of the documents.
“Entry token? No, 3rd place? Wait a minute. Are you really saying you haven’t passed the Great Labyrinth yet?”
“Yes. Do you need anything else? I have my student records, although they are a bit old.”
I had already completed all the mandatory courses during my apprentice years, back in 0th and 1st year.
My grades were also decent, so unless the standards had changed since then, there shouldn’t be any major issues with entry.
“No, no! That’s not necessary. Um, let me see… Ah, Mr. Clark.”
The conditions for entering and exiting the maze are divided into ranks from A to D.
However, it had been five years since the last case, so I recited the provisions from the manual.
“You can either form a team or enter alone. You can spend all seven days of the maze opening inside the maze. If you have team members, they will also be subject to the same rules, which is a privilege that even those in Rank A do not receive.”
In summary, the receptionist’s never-ending explanation was that since there was no danger of being in peril in the maze, I could do as I pleased.
“Furthermore, if any conflicts arise due to the subjugation of demons in the maze, all loot obtained during the process will be attributed to Mr. Clark.”
“Wait a minute, receptionist. Do those conditions make sense?”
“I can’t understand. To a mere disciple of the Heju School?”
I looked around as I heard voices from both sides.
The man and woman standing next to me were challenging the receptionist’s explanation.
From the badges on their robes, it was clear that they were practitioners of ice and fire magic, the two major mountain ranges of Glesia and Meteor, and specialized in elemental studies.
As elemental practitioners were highly favored in the Mausoleum, the two seemed to be representatives of the magicians on the 9th floor.
“Serah, Arthur. This is the manual created by the Department of Life.”
“No, the manual doesn’t mention anything about Rank A or higher. Isn’t it just a simple exception?”
“It’s strange that the Department of Life is interfering in conflicts within the maze to begin with. What will happen if I just take it by force?”
“But the Meteor School has already lost in the Magic Festival, right?”
“Well, that was because those Heju School bastards were hiding their true identities and resorting to dirty tricks! It’s different now!”
Arthur, a man showing hostility, and Serah, a woman who stepped back and observed the situation.
I quickly realized why these emotionless people were interested in me.
The schools aim to send as many of their members to the Mausoleum as possible.
To achieve that, they may eliminate other competitors or form cooperative relationships.
If they had witnessed the match I had in the Magic Arena, there would be no need to pick a fight if they wanted to recruit me.
However, what bound them was their pride as a major school.
A pride that would never bow down to the likes of the Haesoo School.
“Hey, how about we fight again? If you lose, you’ll join us in climbing the labyrinth.”
“Oh! Nice to meet you, ‘Puppy Lover’.”
“What?”
So, I decided to personally bend his pride.
Not by threatening, but by approaching with a humble negotiating stance.
“By the way, how is the opening of the ‘Beast Fur Paradise’ forum that you mentioned last time? I heard you were doing some fundraising activities in the gallery.”
“W-What are you talking about? I’ve never…”
“What’s a ‘fur lover’?”
“In the gallery? What kind of post did Arthur make?”
Suddenly, the surrounding magicians began to buzz, each bringing up stories about the gallery.
Caught in a sudden frenzy, he hurriedly pulled out a location note to argue that it wasn’t him, but his ID had already been changed to ‘Puppy Lover’.
His name was posted as the representative on the forum, and the profile picture seemed to have been taken just a while ago.
Of course, I had changed everything using the administrator account.
“Is this for real?”
“Look at this, there’s even a sniper post.”
“I can’t believe Arthur had such preferences… Could it be…”
“Fur? A-A dog-human? No, no, that’s not me…!”
“Is the username correct? Oh my goodness….”
“And now even this terrible photo….!”
It took less than 10 minutes for him to crumble under a simple manipulation of public opinion.
As Sarah, who had witnessed the whole situation, locked eyes with me, she swallowed her saliva and said:
“Um, should we go to a quiet cafe and talk?”