The Illusionist of the Century

The most frequent sudden event that occurred in the ‘Hero’s Gate’ was the appearance of a dungeon.

A Dungeon. A place created when mana accumulating in nature distorts space and attracts monsters.

Sometimes, when exposed to an immense amount of mana, it goes beyond just distorting space and warps time and space itself.

‘High-level dungeons with distorted time and space open frequently in the Rigbelto territory.’

That was because there were many mages at the level of a great mage, those approaching that level, and high-ranking mages gathered there.

Perhaps that was why.

The appearance of ‘him’ was exceptionally frequent in the Rigbelto territory.

‘I never expected him to be here….’

A being who unconditionally appears wherever a high-level dungeon emerges.

A priest who follows a ‘forgotten god’ about whom not a single record remains on the current continent.

A follower of the forgotten god, Piusuel.

He referred to himself as such.

‘Normally, he’s a character who doesn’t appear until the mid-game.’

Of course, now that the deterrent forcing me to attend the academy was gone.

It wasn’t strange for a mid-game character to appear now.

‘But for a high-level dungeon to open this quietly?’

The problem was the condition for his appearance.

The emergence of a high-level dungeon.

The moment it opens in any ordinary territory, it’s a crisis serious enough that it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say hell has broken loose.

The issue was that it was like an unavoidable natural disaster.

‘The Rigbelto family could easily handle it, of course.’

But to do it without any rumors or news spreading? Is that even possible?

“Ahem! Hem!”

Piusuel, who had been quietly drinking tea, let out a small fake cough and stood up.

Eyes gathered on him as he stood.

His tall, straight, and sturdy physique made it hard to believe he was an old man, and his face didn’t look old either.

Just from his aura, you’d get the feeling, ‘Ah, he must be quite old.’

Perhaps because of his exceptionally unique appearance.

Piusuel naturally possessed the power to draw people’s attention.

‘That old man. Isn’t that designer stuff?’

“Ahem!”

Moreover, the coat, hat, and belt he was wearing were all luxury items.

While it wouldn’t be difficult for a noble to purchase them, he was draped in expensive items that were quite hard to come by among commoners.

‘He really loves to stand out.’

While I let out an inward chuckle, Piusuel enjoyed the attention and moved from his spot.

He vanished from sight in an instant.

Abella, who had been watching Piusuel just like me, let out a short exclamation.

“Wow… he looks so cool. I’m envious of a gentleman like him. To be able to dress so confidently even at that age.”

“….”

“Don’t you think so, Young Master? Do you think you’ll be like that when you’re older?”

Like that, huh….

Certainly. That kind of appearance is cool.

Not to mention the straight posture and body.

It meant he had enough luxury to afford designer brands.

However.

“You have to live until you’re old to dress up like that.”

“Pardon?”

I wondered if I could truly see such an optimistic future.

For me right now, just overcoming my immediate situation required all my strength.

‘…I should follow him.’

That guy shouldn’t be here right now.

Even if it would be hard to approach and get close to him.

I at least needed to know why he came here.

Whether he came because a high-level dungeon was about to open, or if he just came to hang out.

Screech!

As I stood up, Abella quickly packed her coffee and hurried after me.

“Where are we going now?”

“I don’t know.”

“Aren’t you hungry?”

“No.”

At least one advantage of Raon was that his body was full of mana, so there was no need to feed him nutrients on time.

This body was a light eater to begin with, anyway.

‘Ah, I’m craving sugar.’

It was a sad reality for me, someone who used to get good views doing eating broadcasts.

Maybe she noticed my mood.

While absentmindedly stuffing her packaged drink into her pocket, Abella spotted a nearby shop and asked brightly.

“…Should we go buy a donut?!”

‘Did that old man like donuts?’

Might as well buy some first.

When I nodded, Abella hurriedly ran into the shop.

She was so excited she dropped something, quickly picked it up, and went right back in.

‘…I think she just really wanted to eat one.’

Just my imagination, right?

“Hehe. I bought some.”

“….”

Why did you buy three whole boxes?

Can you even eat all that?

I wanted to ask, but it would break my character, so I just held out my hand.

“Here! The biggest one!”

Abella, who clearly wanted to eat a lot, handed me a literally supersized one and started munching away.

I popped it in my mouth and headed toward where Piusuel had disappeared.

‘His tastes are as unique as ever.’

The path Piusuel took always had a lot of people, yet not that many.

What this meant was.

Many people passed by, but they didn’t linger.

He preferred places where he could walk leisurely, almost as if he were putting on a fashion show.

‘Thanks to that, tracking him is easy.’

Piusuel is a character I had completed the route for multiple times.

I had built up enough affinity to hear him call me “My friend!”

And raised it to the level where he would break his conviction of ‘never intervening’ to save me.

Although the affinity I built back then had all vanished.

The know-how I gained while building it up hadn’t.

“….”

It didn’t take long to catch up to Piusuel.

“E-Excuse me!”

“Hmm? What is it, ladies?”

“W-Would you mind having your portrait drawn with me?!”

“Hoho, I don’t mind. Should we draw it here?”

“….”

Back in elementary school. When the girls said, “I like handsome guys!” I wondered if they’d like an old man if he were handsome.

It seems handsomeness truly knows no age.

After drawing a portrait with the ladies, Piusuel turned into an alleyway.

‘That’s….’

An alleyway, of all places?

I frowned.

“Pant, pant, pant….”

Exhausted from following me, Abella gasped for air.

Wiping her mouth, Abella followed my gaze into the alleyway.

Then she asked me very cautiously.

“Young Master… do you have business with that old man?”

“Yeah.”

“Do you perhaps know him…?”

“No.”

It was an ambiguous thing to explain.

I knew him. But that guy didn’t know me.

And we had zero relations.

So I gave a half-hearted answer, but she seemed to accept it in her own way.

“…Did the Young Master actually want to look like that?”

“….”

Why would you misunderstand it like that?

‘Well, I guess it doesn’t matter.’

Anyway.

‘An alleyway is a bit… annoying.’

The chain has the advantage of a long reach and can be wielded in wide swings.

Given the narrow nature of an alleyway.

It could be quite a significant risk factor for me.

“Huh?”

Abella’s eyes widened as if she found something.

“Young Master!”

“?”

“Inside! In there!”

Abella hurriedly pointed inside.

I shifted my gaze to the tip of her finger.

Then, a tent that hadn’t been there until just now became visible between the alleyways.

[Free Magic Performance!]

I frowned.

‘Why is this here?’

Just like Piusuel, that only appeared during sudden events.

No.

Why did something that wasn’t there until a moment ago suddenly appear in the first place?

‘Are they showing it to us on purpose?’

Telling us to come over?

“….”

Should I go or not.

‘In the game.’

It was a truly trivial event.

Just as it said, teaching magic.

The content wasn’t anything special either, so players paid it absolutely no attention.

‘Except for me, of course.’

The significance of this event was.

Hinting that Piusuel was about to appear.

In other words, it was a hint that a high-level dungeon was about to appear.

‘Just how high of a difficulty is this dungeon that….’

Why is this event happening already?

And.

If a high-level dungeon was scheduled to appear, there’s no way the Rigbelto family wouldn’t have noticed, yet it was suspiciously quiet.

Even if it appeared without them noticing.

They hid it? A high-level dungeon? How? And why?

“….”

I decided to attend the lecture myself.

‘They won’t hurt me.’

Even when I tested it and maxed out their hostility to 100%.

‘…Be thankful you’re human, idiot.’

They only spat out lines like that.

They didn’t kill me.

So it should be safe.

Step.

“A-Ah! Young Master! Let’s go together!”

We went inside the tent and took a seat.

Various people were sitting inside the tent: a little kid who didn’t even notice his runny nose, a hunched-over old man, and an adult swelling with dreams.

A few people of varying age groups were seated.

“Ahem.”

Piusuel’s presence alone stood out distinctly.

‘Unbelievable. Even here, this guy.’

Thanks to him, no attention was drawn to me.

As we comfortably settled into a corner, the one who organized the lecture appeared.

“Now, now! Everyone, please take a seat inside! The lecture will begin shortly!”

A man wearing a blue hat and a white mask.

His name was probably.

‘…The Illusionist of the Century, if I remember correctly.’

An illusionist, not a mage.

A term not used in the current game, making him quite a unique character.

“Alright then! Shall we start the lecture energetically today as well?”

The man let out a hearty laugh as he unleashed his magic.

Countless water spheres floated up around him.

“Hehe. What do you all think?”

“Wow! So pretty!”

“Excellent work, young man….”

“Haha, thank you.”

Perhaps because they had seen this sight multiple times, they didn’t offer any significant exclamations.

But to my eyes, as a mage in my own right even if I couldn’t cast magic, it was clear as day.

‘He cast it without a magic chant.’

He was incredibly skilled.

Perhaps….

He might be on a similar level to my current siblings.

‘The more I watch him, the less I understand why he has such a good personality.’

Most folks who call themselves mages tend to be eccentric, after all.

“Now! Shall we take some questions for the final part?”

“Me!”

The little kid wiped his runny nose and asked enthusiastically.

“Can you fill a bucket with water using water magic?!”

“Haha! That’s impossible unless you’re a truly high-ranking mage!”

“Huh? Isn’t it the same as the water spheres?”

“Of course, conjuring water isn’t that difficult. But as you all know, this is all for ‘attacking’, right?”

The water spheres hanging from the tip of the illusionist’s fingers spun as if they would charge at any moment.

As the kid nodded, the illusionist released the condensed water and opened his palms wide.

Pop!

The water spheres burst like a spray bottle, dampening the tops of our heads.

“It means that removing the offensive nature and extracting only ‘water’ to fill something is difficult.”

“Aha!”

The kid nodded emphatically as if he understood.

A young man who had been listening quietly raised his hand.

“Then what is Word Authority?”

“Word Authority is… well, by our mage standards, it’s akin to divine power.”

“Divine?”

“Yes, yes. Because they can snap our fragile necks with a single word. But do not worry. Those kinds of people can crush us with their presence alone without even speaking.”

For some reason.

Very fleetingly.

I felt like they looked at me.

“Divine, huh.”

Piusuel muttered in a strange voice.

And then.

His eyes were fixed on me.

“I sure would like to meet one.”

…What are you looking at?

I almost retorted instantly.

***

“Alright, that concludes today’s lecture!”

“Waaaah!!”

Clap, clap, clap!

The kid has great reactions.

Excluding the quiet young man who barely opened his mouth.

And the sickly old man.

The kid, who was the only one actively participating in the lecture, also asked questions passionately.

“Now, young gentleman! A personal gift from me!”

“Wow!”

“This will protect you from any unforeseen dangers when you use magic. Will you come again next time I hold a lecture?”

“Yes! I’ll definitely come!”

The kid gripped the faint blue necklace tightly with both hands, bowing deeply before leaving his seat.

Watching the spot where the kid left with a pleased look, the illusionist spoke.

“That child’s talent is truly excellent. He’ll probably figure out how to handle his core soon.”

Core.

An organ essential for a mage to handle ‘mana’.

Realizing how to handle it meant.

He could soon awaken as a mage.

“It is fortunate that the child’s destiny is flowing properly.”

‘Was he this kind of character?’

It was definitely the same as I remembered.

But something was different.

As if this were his true self.

He wore a mask, yet he revealed himself confidently, looking straight at me.

“Compared to that, your destiny is completely twisted.”

“….”

What does that mean?

“Is life bearable for you, Mr. Raon Rigbelto?”

Under the gaze of the Illusionist of the Century.

I quietly clenched my fists.

…Could it be. Did he realize I’m a transmigrator?