chapter 5
Shortly after Oz crosses the border.
Some of the wizards who noticed it belatedly began to hum.
Among them, there were those who tried to deploy magic.
“Whoa… … . Whoa… … .”
Oz let out a rough breath and just looked at the scene.
It was hard to breathe. It wasn’t a physical problem.
It was because the incident with the girl he had just made eye contact with was so frightening.
‘How are you here? why did you let go What does marching mean?’
As if confused, Oz recalled what had just happened and constantly questioned him.
There was nothing I could understand properly.
Tension at the border.
“Spellage’s gentlemen. Surely you don’t intend to fire such menacing magic into the territory of the Helios Empire?”
As Oz gasped for breath, a calm voice came from behind. Oz raised an eyebrow at the voice.
At least for this moment, there is no need to worry.
“… … to stop.”
The man who seemed to be the leader of the raiders on the <Spellage> side dissuaded the subordinates who were deploying magic in a low voice.
His expression was frowning in annoyance.
“Well, there’s no way we can declare war against the Empire.”
“To be shameless.”
Black hair down to her waist and a black tail wagging gently between her legs.
The ears were not visible because they were covered by the military hat, but there must have been animal ears unique to the beast race.
Oz’s eyes looking up at her with [Contemplation] activated showed her identity as a string.
An SR-rank character belonging to the Imperial Intelligence Service, <Tenebris>, who looks good with red cat eyes.
[SR Blending Cat]
Lucia Punisher
she warned, crossing her arms.
Behind her, dozens of imperial troops had already gathered.
“He is one of our spellers… … !”
“Spelage’s? What is this person?”
Lucia asked again, aiming her pistol at the sorceress who was shouting indignantly at her.
There was a rare sneer on that expressionless face.
Seeing that, the man who seemed to be the captain approached Lucia.
The two glared at each other in front of the line that divided the border.
“He’s a criminal who committed a felony in Spellage.”
“Oh, yes? You don’t look that bad in my eyes, do you?”
“… … You don’t even know who he is. This is not something that can be easily overlooked even by the Empire.”
Ozu was a person at the center of a country. If such a person were taken away, some secrets might be leaked.
“Well? I’m not sure Could you tell me what will happen if I simply don’t move on?”
“that’s… … !”
The leader of the raiders was about to shout, but was speechless for a moment. Anyway, there’s no way I can’t talk like this.
It is clear that he was aware of Oz’s situation in advance.
“Because we have a policy of accepting those who seek asylum regardless of their position. What if you have a complaint… … . Why don’t you protest against the Empire separately?”
It’s not even funny.
However, since Oz has crossed the border, it is also true that the Empire has the initiative.
If I miss it here and now, even if there is an additional conversation, it will be after Oz has already disappeared.
‘And the Empire will only spit words of apology without sincerity.’
It was a frequent occurrence.
It was a deterrence that could be done because it was the strongest country in the world.
But even he couldn’t get away with it. It was because the target was a very important person.
If you miss it, that alone is a loss.
“Then I will prove it with the unique properties of mana possessed by mages… … . No, wait… … . no way?”
The leader of the raiders was desperate and tried to think of a means, but was soon speechless again.
All wizards belonging to <Spellage> leave mana like fingerprints.
That [King of Darkness] is no exception.
However, he had no intention of proving that his opponent was Oz.
to earn time.
No matter what you do, the other person won’t accept it anyway.
In the meantime, if a high-ranking official from <Spellage> marched to the border, there could be room for dialogue.
But even that was impossible.
Seeing that, Lucia laughed and said.
“I’ve been watching you since a while ago, but this guy never used magic to break through the siege.”
Oz never used magic to cross the border.
Let alone buying time with the excuse of analyzing the nature of mana, he couldn’t even claim that he was a wizard.
“Aren’t you even a wizard in the first place? But what are you proving?”
“That, that!”
“Isn’t it? Then, can we assume the identity of this ‘civilian’ for now?”
“… … damn it.”
clap clap clap–
“Oh oh… … . Indeed, it is Mr. Oz. I thought it was strange why he broke through with his bare body, but there was a reason for that?”
At that moment, the red-haired girl who was watching the situation from behind clapped her hands and smiled.
She was clapping her hands in genuine admiration.
Everyone present looked at the girl with a strange sense of difference.
‘Who is it? The author… … .’
Yeah, everyone felt the difference.
None of the people present knew the girl’s identity.
Even the raiders in <Spellage>.
“Whoops.”
The most foreign girl in this place waved at Oz.
Oz waved his hand at the gesture as if he was saying hello, feeling an unknown horror.
It seemed like it should be.
“Then should I just go? I have a lot to do. If you have one last thing to say to this boy, why don’t you say it now?”
“… … don’t hesitate.”
Lucia laughed again and led Oz proudly.
* * *
I was lucky. Yeah, all I can think of is that I was lucky.
The reason why he didn’t use magic wasn’t such a grandiose reason as leaving no traces.
It was because he thought it would be better to believe in his two legs that were still intact, rather than attracting attention as [the ruler of mana] where any magic might come out.
In the first place, if I could use proper magic, I would have used it.
Since I couldn’t use it, I was ignorant and ran by relying only on my physical abilities.
Of course, even if I had used magic on the spot, the empire would have made a decision to embrace me, but I wouldn’t have been optimistic.
My evaluation in the Empire would have gone down even a little bit.
“I was honestly surprised by this. Is it different from what you’ve heard? The Prince of Oz.”
“… … .”
In the carriage heading to the empire, Lucia crossed her arms and spoke to me as if she had had an interesting experience.
“I never imagined that the rumored ‘that’ Prince of Oz would come running at full speed, even rolling on the ground, let alone use magic.”
“… … If I had done anything imaginable, I would have caught it.”
Even if it was unintentional, it’s good to tell her to think that way now.
Even though the Empire has decided to accept my existence for now, there is nothing good about looking down on them.
If I can raise my value, it would be better to put it up.
Arriving in the Empire is not the end. I was still on a tight single line.
If I make a mistake and my value is lowered, I will be thrown away as it is.
“It certainly must have been. Still, when I saw your personality, I thought it would be natural for you to break through head-on.”
“yes? Then I must have been good at acting.”
“Huh… … .”
Lucia started looking at me suspiciously. I’m not confident about my poker face, but it’s okay.
[Contemplation – Activate]
As soon as [Contemplation] is activated, Lucia starts to flinch.
It works.
She was pretending to be okay on the outside, but her tail was standing up as if it were burdensome.
It is a characteristic of cat breeds.
“If you think you knew all about me, just a little… … . It’s disappointing.”
“… … Yes, I admit it.”
It sucks, but this is good.
The impression of Oz when [Contemplation] is active is quite burdensome.
It’s not that the impression is bad, but the eyes feel like they’re looking through everything inside.
yo that’s it What you look like is important.
“So, what are you going to do from now on? It’s obvious, but I can’t hide your existence forever unless I know if you belong to the Empire.”
Lucia crossed her arms and then her legs and continued talking.
Still, the wagging tail was still there, so there was no dignity.
“Uh, hmm!”
It was only then that Lucia probably noticed that my gaze had been on the tail from earlier, so she quietly folded her arms and began to calm herself down by rubbing her stiff tail.
In the meantime, I didn’t forget to pay attention to me.
But isn’t it a rare sight? Moreover, I have no intention of giving up the long-awaited advantage easily.
I don’t back down.
“Hey, why is this happening?”
Even though it was his own body, he began to feel urgency from the hand touching his tail as if he couldn’t control it.
“I-over there… … . A little glance… … .”
Yes, at this point, discipline has been strengthened enough.
Now, for the sake of her pride, it would be better to slowly move her gaze elsewhere and get to the point.
“… … I’m going to go to Skientia for now.”
“Skientia? why? You don’t mean to become a professor, do you intend to play student games?”
“If necessary, I will.”
“Is it ‘if necessary’? Sounds like something… … .”
It could be said to be the best option for me now.
If you go to the academy, you will be able to learn proper magic. I already have magical knowledge, so it won’t take long.
Moreover, there is the main character [Princess of Ruin].
I don’t intend to follow the flow of the original work straight away, but if the main character dies, it’s a straight line of destruction anyway.
You need to watch closely and help.
And lastly, even Oz of the original work was directed towards the academy.
There must have been a reason why he should have chosen that place instead of giving complete exile to the Empire.
I don’t know the ending of the game.
In the first place, it fell into the game on the day of the Chapter 15 update.
All I know is that you can’t clear this game without the power of the original protagonist, and that Oz in the game is out of date.
“Recommendations… … .”
“Thank you for giving… … .”
“No, you don’t need it. With your skills, you wouldn’t even need a letter of recommendation.”
“Yeah, that’s right. I do not need.”
I want to receive it, but considering the stance I’m taking now, it’s not a good choice.
Now the empire is friendly to me, but I don’t know when that favor will turn into a debt to be repaid.
“Then, for the sake of a strong relationship in the future, let’s send it safely to Skientia.”
“You’ll have to go to Skientia anyway, so why don’t you show condescension?”
“What… … ?”
Since you are a game character, you should be involved with the main character.
When I said that, knowing that fact, Lucia stared blankly at me with a startled face.
Following her tail, her ears began to rise above her cap.
It seems that he was quite surprised.
“… … I can’t be careless. How the hell did you get that information?”
“I know when I see it.”
“You mean you don’t want to tell me?”
I really just saw and knew.
But there is no need to correct her misunderstanding.
I don’t even know how to fix it.
“If you belong to <Tenebris>, you should find it yourself. I’m going to cut it. Wake me up when you reach your destination.”
“… … I will.”
To be honest, sleeping was a bluff.
Because I wasn’t strong enough to sleep peacefully in this situation.
But surprisingly, my body seems to be in a very tired state.
It was a good night’s sleep.
* * *
After going to the official residence of the empire and having a lot of troublesome questions and answers, he secretly entered the western part of the empire.
<Spellage> hasn’t taken any action yet.
Well, since the neighboring kingdom of Chrysos was destroyed overnight, it would be difficult to pay attention to anything else.
“Definitely heterogeneous.”
With the sky falling and the Kingdom of Chrysos ruined overnight, each country is in a state of emergency.
Only <Skientia>, an independent organization in the western region of the Empire, was immersed in a peaceful atmosphere.
“… … Yes, this is the city where [Yongje] is based, right?”
In <Skientia>, [Dragon Emperor] Tiamat, one of only five dragons in the world, reigns as the head of the academy.
Now that I’m here, I understand. I didn’t even have to activate [Contemplation].
I can feel the mana that makes my skin tingle even though I am just looking at the correction of <Skientia>.
It’s an absurd magic barrier.
Does Meteora fall instead of rain from the sky here?
“Whoa… … .”
It’s reassuring to think of being put under her protection, but considering the story of the game, it’s hard to be optimistic.
It is not easy to see that the sky has collapsed, even if it is a dragon.
She, who has been staying at the academy for most of the time, will also start going out more often to find out the truth.
And the enemy will aim for that moment. The game starts like that.
“Shall we move first?”
Stop looking at the campus and head to the reception desk.
He deliberately aimed at the time of the entrance exam while receiving the protection of the empire. Well, that was no different from a cushion of thorns.
I can’t help it because I haven’t completely escaped the assassin’s threat yet.
It’s fine for now, but it won’t take long to prepare an assassin to attack me.
There was nothing good about being deeply involved with the empire, but now that there was no special power, he had no choice but to rely on the empire.
“There are a lot of applicants this year.”
“It probably has to be that way.”
What the people at the reception are talking about is probably about the fallen sky.
<Skientia> is now considered one of the most stable places in the world.
That’s why people will flock to it.
“I’m here to apply for the exam.”
“ah… … .”
When it was my turn to talk to him while slightly pulling back the hood I was wearing, the surroundings started to buzz.
Oz’s appearance is too conspicuous.
Probably because it’s an SSR grade character.
This kind of interest, to be honest, I don’t feel bad. rather enjoyable
“Are you sure he is that person?”
“I heard rumors that he escaped from Spelage, but… … .”
Among them, there were also those who figured out my identity.
In fact, <Skientia> is attended by more nobles than commoners.
There are not a few people who recognize my face.
“… … The exam is in 3 days.”
The person at the reception handed over the test ticket with a rather calm expression.
They would have checked the personal information I wrote down, so there’s no way they wouldn’t know my identity.
This must be his own consideration so as not to be surprised and confirm my identity.
“Then, the next applicant is coming.”
“Ah yes!”
As I was leaving the reception area, I heard a familiar voice. It’s a familiar voice that I heard from time to time while playing the game.
“… … .”
“there? Can you get out of the way?”
“Oh yeah. Excuse me.”
I sneak my way out of the way and look out of the corner of my eye at the person passing by.
Blue-silver hair tinged with blue swayed at shoulder level.
Her eyes were dark blue like sapphire, and there was no hesitation in her gait.
thank god. She was definitely there.
“Yeah! His name is Noah!”
“It’s okay not to shout so loudly. You can just write it here… … .”
“Yeah! Okay. Can I write it down here?”
A girl who lost everything, including her country, not too long ago, but tries not to lose her vigor.
The owner of the key, using the explicit pseudonym Noah.
The key person of the story.
[KP Princess of Ruin]
Eleanor von Chrysos
[Contemplation] was carving a string on the edge of her field of vision, clearly asserting her identity.
“Is this what it is?”
“Ah yes… … .”
Although I was passing by, I was finally able to identify the protagonist of the game.