Please read this
Episode 20
City of Wizards (5)
The wizard’s name is Rebecca Duncan.
According to her, you can just call her Becky.
She, who reached the end of the secondary level at the young age of 27, is said to have come to Wilhelm to take the selection test like us.
Becky, who passed the first test like us.
Then Becky saw Riley, who had a tattoo on her hand like hers, and for a moment, her curiosity was piqued and she took a look at him.
“That was really rude, yeah. No matter how curious I was, I shouldn’t have done something like that.”
Inside a fancy restaurant.
Becky said with a smile, her chin resting on her hand.
Her fork was loaded with slices of lamb ribs, each cut into bite-size pieces.
Having studied magic at the school in Wilhelm since childhood, Becky was familiar with the surrounding geography.
The locations of various facilities, little-known magic tool shops, and even hidden restaurants scattered throughout Wilhelm.
Thanks to Becky, Riley was enjoying a meal at a delicious restaurant.
[delicious?]
Riley answered, her eyes still fixed on the food.
‘yes.’
She swallowed the food and continued speaking.
‘After always eating tasteless food in Richie’s stuffy cave, I feel happy eating something like this.’
It was something that Richie would be upset to hear.
He also tried hard to cook for Riley.
I remember that it was a bonus to have a balanced nutritional balance, and that they also generously added rare ingredients such as magic herbs.
‘Then what should I do? It doesn’t taste good.’
[… … .]
You’re so cold-hearted.
Riley was surprisingly picky about food.
but.
Come to think of it, there really hasn’t been any food he’s liked so far.
If we exclude the food from the restaurant now, the only food that suited Riley’s taste was the unicorn skewers she had in the island.
‘I have a very sensitive sense of taste.’
[Yeah, right.]
How could someone with such a sensitive palate mistake lamb skewers for unicorn meat?
right?
‘Even monkeys fall from trees… ‘
[Okay. Stop talking nonsense and just eat.]
‘yes.’
Riley said nothing more and continued eating in silence.
* * *
“I ate well.”
“No. It makes me happier to see Riley enjoying her food.”
When we finished eating and went outside, the sky had already become dark.
Wilhelm Street with streetlights on.
Becky continued with a grin.
“And you don’t have to be so thankful. It was on the list the manager gave us anyway.”
“……yes?”
“Poohaha! It’s all free anyway!”
Becky turned over her hand and smiled, pointing to the glowing blue pentagram pattern.
“You probably know this from the manager. Some facilities are free to use if you just show this symbol.”
“ah.”
“This restaurant was one of them.”
Riley made a blank expression. Becky burst into an exaggerated laugh and tapped Riley on the shoulder.
That’s crazy.
When Riley has a blank expression, it means she’s pretty upset.
“Ahaha! I didn’t mean to trick you. I’m sorry.”
“… … .”
“Ahem, anyway, what are you going to do now? Go straight to the dorm?”
“… … Yes. I don’t really have anything to do.”
“Why? Since we came all the way to Wilhelm, why don’t we at least take a look around the city?”
“I’ve already had my fill.”
“Oh, right. That’s right.”
I had already had my fill of sightseeing around the city while wandering around looking for the management office.
Because of that, Riley was already extremely tired.
Both mentally and physically.
“Do you have an inn in mind?”
“I was just trying to go to the closest facility on the list.”
“hey!”
Becky suddenly raised her voice.
——————
faqwiki.us
Join our Discord for new chapter updates!
https://discord.com/invite/xr7SxG5T6V
——————
“You’re just going to a nearby place? That won’t work.”
“… … ?”
“Ugh.”
She shook her head and reached out to Riley. Then she smiled and said,
“Give me a map and a list. I’ll choose for you.”
“… … ?”
Although they are all facilities that have been inspected at the level of the five great magic towers, they are all in good condition, but there are bound to be differences in level even among them.
Becky began to narrow down her options based on her experience living in Wilhelm for many years.
“Hmm, this place is good too… … Oh, right! The accommodation is called “Sky Whale’s Shelter”, so this place is the best. It’s quiet because it’s well-soundproofed, the owner is kind, and the food here is the best.”
“okay.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
Did about 5 minutes pass like that?
Becky smiled and handed the map back to Riley.
“Okay, is this enough?”
The map and list I received back contained detailed information about various important facilities.
Riley looked over each note Becky had left behind and asked questions.
“Isn’t Ms. Becky going with you?”
“……me?”
“yes.”
“Oh, I know someone living in Wilhelm, so I’m going to stay at his house for the time being.”
Becky smiled.
“Why? Riley, do you want to go stay at his house too?”
“no.”
“Hehehe, you’re rejecting me outright. I was just saying that.”
[… … .]
I was just saying that.
well.
Based on my experience of living for tens of thousands of years, I can tell you that those were definitely not just words that were said.
Becky was sincere.
If Riley had accepted Becky’s offer, she would have actually taken Riley to her place.
Becky was currently having feelings for Riley. To be exact, her feelings were more of an interest than a crush, but anyway.
‘You’re interested in me… … Why is that?’
Riley asked, overhearing my thoughts.
well.
Why is Becky interested in Riley?
I’m not sure about that either.
[How could I know what that crazy bitch is thinking?]
Despite the manager’s warning, it was really hard to know the intentions of a crazy person who was trying to kill someone right from the start.
[But if I were to make a rough guess… … .]
Perhaps it was the fact that Riley, who was only in the elementary level, passed the Level 1 test that piqued their interest?
Along with the same curiosity, I wonder what kind of talent this child has that allowed him to pass this test?
‘You speak very well for someone who says they don’t know.’
[Just a guess, just a guess.]
‘There is a reason why they say that like types recognize each other.’
[… … Are you going to call me crazy and call me that?]
‘No?’
[… … .]
Riley didn’t say anything else. Instead, she just stared blankly at Becky, who had stopped in front of her.
At that moment, Becky was waving at us with a bright smile.
“Then go and get some rest, Riley! See you next time for the test!”
“… … .”
Becky’s mouth was curled into a smile that didn’t seem malicious at all.
A pure smile.
It’s really hard to believe that someone like that is a crazy bitch who would kill anyone on their first meeting. And that she’s a murderous maniac who brutally murders bandits.
But that’s why we have to be more careful.
Since ancient times, the more you don’t know the inside story of an opponent, the more likely it is that they will be a dangerous enemy.
[Riley.]
‘yes.’
[Before we break up, we need to say what we need to say.]
‘I was going to do that anyway.’
Riley smiled faintly as she looked at Becky, who was greeting her.
“Ms. Becky.”
“huh?”
“See you next time.”
“Ah! Yeah!”
“And if we ever meet again, I hope we can fight face to face. Please don’t scare me with lethal illusion magic or something.”
“……what?”
Becky’s smile twisted momentarily.
“Hallucination… … . magic?”
“yes.”
Becky’s playful smile began to fade. Becky’s face hardened. She began to assume an increasingly eerie blank expression.
“what.”
“… … .”
“Did you know?”
When she spoke in a cold voice, Riley answered immediately.
“yes.”
A virtual battle that took place during the first encounter with Becky.
Riley died in the battle and returned to the real world.
-Wh, what… … .
-Oh, that?
-… … .
-It’s a battle that took place in your mind.
To a confused Riley, Becky explained that the phenomenon was a battle of wits.
It is a simulation that occurs in a state of extreme concentration, a virtual battle fought using mental power, a type of delusion that unfolds through the brain.
okay.
This so-called mental battle was a real concept.
Especially in battles between skilled players, this kind of mental battle sometimes comes up when they try to figure out each other’s weaknesses.
but…….
“Wasn’t that the illusionary magic that Ms. Becky cast on me?”
“… … .”
What Riley was going through today wasn’t some kind of mental battle.
It was just some high-level illusion magic that Becky cast on Riley.
“… … .”
Becky was silent for a moment after hearing Riley’s words.
A look of bewilderment began to creep into her expressionless face.
“Wow, no, shit… … . Are you a little bit amazing?”
Becky continued, looking quite embarrassed.
“How did you notice that? Only a really high-ranking wizard would notice that?”
“… … .”
It was just as Becky said.
When people dream, they often mistake it for something happening in reality.
This is a prime example of how difficult it is for people to distinguish between illusion and reality.
But, in a situation where it is difficult to distinguish between illusion and reality… … .
Are you able to distinguish between mental combat and illusion magic, which are in the same ‘illusion’ category?
I can assure you that it was extremely difficult.
It’s something that even high-level magicians wouldn’t be able to accomplish.
[But it’s not impossible.]
Since ancient times, there has been only one way to distinguish between the two.
[Confidence.]
That’s right, certainty.
A very strong conviction that one will win.
That was the only key to distinguishing between mental battles and hallucinations.
A mental battle is literally a battle fought within one’s own consciousness.
This battle, which used mental power, also had a very high rate of assimilation into reality. It meant that the one who won the mental battle had a very high probability of winning in reality.
But illusion magic is different.
It is just an ‘illusion’ that the caster is forced to show.
In the illusion, an 8-year-old child can kill a dragon, and an 80-year-old man who can’t even bend his back properly can overpower a swordmaster.
This means that the virtual situation created by the caster will proceed as is regardless of the laws of reality.
And thanks to that little difference, Riley was able to see through Becky’s illusionary magic.
Because for her.
-What do you think when you see it? Do you think you can win?
-of course.
Because I had a very strong belief that I would win.
“There’s no way I’d be killed by a shabby wizard like Becky.”
“……what?”
Riley continued speaking calmly.
“If that was the battle I was fighting in my mind, I would have won without fail. There would never be a chance that I would be killed by Becky.”
“… … .”
“But if the impossible happens, what else could it be but illusionary magic?”
All wizards have strong egos.
I can confidently say that there is not a single wizard who would remain silent after being called a ‘sloppy wizard’ right in front of their faces.
Especially if the guy making that noise is a wizard of a lower level than you.
“Hey, you… … .”
And it was no exception in the current situation.
“… … What did you just say?”
Ppoduk─.
The eerie sound of teeth grinding.
Becky’s expression became severely distorted.
