Ji Qianluo Appears

The Magic Festival was a special holiday established after rulers from various nations convened, commemorating Augmodas, the First Mage, who pioneered the use of magic for humanity.

It was said that on this day, all magic teachers and students across the Yada Continent’s academies would receive a day off.

Mages with a penchant for spectacle could even gather to showcase their magical prowess, demonstrating the fruits of their year-long endeavors.

Magic on this continent was exceedingly arcane and difficult to master, leading to a scarcity of mages.

Many people went their entire lives without ever encountering one, viewing mages as lofty, transcendent beings.

Thus, whenever mages performed their rare feats of magic, a vast multitude of spectators would invariably flock to witness them, creating an inescapable surge of humanity.

Such was the scene now.

After being jostled for the sixteenth time by the people beside me, an expression akin to ‘Why are you mortals still so boisterous? Shouldn’t you be asleep?’ finally settled on my face.

Unable to endure the crush any longer, I staggered backward, extricating myself from the throng.

The pressure around me immediately eased, though in less than a second, the space I had occupied was swiftly filled.

‘Damn, this crowd is practically swallowing people whole!’

I let out a long breath, rotating my aching waist.

Gazing at the sea of people before me, I no longer had the confidence to push my way back in.

“How are you doing, Airi? Enjoying the view?”

Just then, Lance strolled over from the side, a perpetual smile gracing his features.

That scoundrel was cunning; he never intended to immerse himself in the crowd to watch.

“What’s that? Are you mocking me?”

I glared at Lance, my displeasure evident.

“Of course not.”

Lance waved a dismissive hand, his gaze sweeping over the masses.

“The Magic Festival is an annual event, and many students come to see it. Such a crowd is perfectly normal.”

“So, it’s only natural that I got pushed out?”

I fixed Lance with a gaze bordering on resentment.

“No, no.”

Lance offered another wry smile, waving his hand again in protest.

“Well, never mind. It’s a fact that I was pushed out.”

I refrained from further sarcasm towards Lance, turning to press a hand against my forehead.

“It seems we won’t be able to see anything here. Let’s just head back. Ugh, I’ll get scolded by Yani for seeing nothing, and I knew I shouldn’t have snuck out with you.”

Lance paused, surprised.

“Eh, leaving so soon?”

“What else? Should I stay and count heads?”

“Of course not.”

Lance offered a faint smile.

“I heard that Her Majesty the Queen will also be making an appearance at this year’s Magic Festival performance. She should be arriving soon. I thought you were here for that.”

“Her Majesty the Queen?”

I glanced back, my eyes brimming with disinterest, and said nonchalantly, “No interest.”

‘Based on my years of otaku research, a “Her Majesty the Queen” type of character is a being who constantly wears a stern expression, only knows how to command others, understands neither “moe” nor “tsundere” — at best, they possess the “tsun” without the “dere.” They are abnormally calm in critical moments but can never devise a solution, ultimately relying on the protagonist. They are the quintessential stubborn onee-san archetype.’

‘Who in their right mind would be interested in someone like that?’

‘Ah, though perhaps a masochistic Lance might find her interesting.’

‘In any case…’

“Her Majesty the Queen? I have no interest, nor do I wish to see her.”

I waved my hand dismissively, declaring with an expression that screamed, ‘This great one is no onee-san fetishist!’

“Oh, really?”

Lance arched an eyebrow, a look of regret on his face as he said, “Yet, I distinctly recall you always wanting to meet Her Majesty the Queen in the past.”

“Her Majesty the Queen, why haven’t you appeared yet?!”

Instantly, cold sweat beaded on my forehead as I spun around, shouting towards the crowd.

‘Damn it, I’m no longer that decadent otaku! I can’t just act on my impulses anymore; when necessary, I have to follow the whims of this girl named Airi.’

‘Lord Demon God, when will this trial you’ve given me finally end? I’m almost at my breaking point!’

Yet, my act seemed to fall short.

Lance appeared to have noticed something amiss.

He studied me intently, my face already slick with cold sweat, then turned to my clearly uncomfortable expression and began, “Airi, I’d say you seem a bit…”

Lance’s words were cut short.

At that moment, a wave of fervent cheers erupted from the crowd, drawing both my and Lance’s attention.

We heard shouts of:

“Her Majesty the Queen has appeared!”

“Long live the Queen!”

“Her Majesty the Queen, I love you!”

…

‘Her Majesty the Queen, I love you too!’

With a face that clearly showed my relief, I uttered a quick “I’m going to see!” to Lance and then, without a moment’s hesitation, plunged back into the surging crowd.

Lance seemed about to reach out and stop me, but ultimately, he lowered his hand.

‘Thank heavens, I finally managed to bluff my way through!’

Jubilant in my heart, I finally breathed a sigh of relief.

As Her Majesty the Queen proceeded from the outside towards the interior of the magic exhibition grounds, soldiers naturally parted the crowd, clearing a path for her passage.

The students, retreating as they were, inadvertently made things easier for me, sparing me the arduous effort of pushing and squeezing through the masses as before.

This also allowed me a clear view of the Queen’s appearance.

‘Well then, everyone, the Queen’s true countenance is about to be revealed! Is she a rigid onee-san or a loli with a contrasting cuteness? I’ll soon see…’

‘Huh?’

‘Huh?!!’

Suddenly, upon seeing the true face of the Queen – who walked composedly, a faint smile gracing her lips amidst her guards – I froze, an expression of utter disbelief etched onto my features.

‘This person, this person isn’t…’

‘Damn it, isn’t that Ji Qianluo, that accursed woman?!’