Isekai Online Game Developer

The Royal Mage is different from the mages of Trinity.

The Towers of Trinity specialize in researching each property of magic.

In contrast, the Royal Mage combines various attributes.

In terms of magical achievement, they are far behind Trinity.

And the skill levels of individual mages are similar.

Typically, royal magic developed mainly in lifestyle and military magic.

Of course, it wasn’t always like that.

In the past, Rihenz Jer was a member of the heroic party and a great mage.

During his tenure as the Magic Minister, the status of the Royal Magic Department rose.

But that was thanks to Rihenz’s strength, not the merit of the Royal Mages.

The Magic Department, which briefly rose to the center of power, was quickly on the decline.

So currently, the power of the Royal Magic Department and Magic Minister Lenz Jer is quite ambiguous.

In terms of magic, they lag behind Trinity, leaving only the façade of being descendants of great mages.

Even in the royal court, he was often pushed around.

Of course, the mages of Trinity had a strong tendency to look down on the Royal Mages.

As a mage, and as Magic Minister, he was never respected, and his frustrations accumulated.

Then he discovered “Maple Leaf Story.”

What he first learned about it was from seeing a certain Royal Mage who bought the initial release.

“Illusion Tower? This is…!”

“Wait a minute, Lenz! This is no ordinary artifact. Once you get in, you can never escape!”

“This definitely needs to be researched. It’s… a revolution!”

“Research, my foot.”

The royal court had no Illusion Mages.

Thus, it was impossible for them to uncover the true nature of that artifact.

Nevertheless, it was clearly something remarkable; Lenz personally bought the second release.

In fact, he needed an excuse to use some annual leave.

Every day being looked down upon in the royal court was incredibly stressful for him.

“I went through all that trouble just to buy something like this… I must be insane. Oh? Wait…?!”

And he quickly fell into the world of “Maple Leaf Story.”

From his stressful royal life, it completely brought him a new life.

He chose the hunter class specializing in archery, capable of breezing through monsters.

His descent into mischief began after his second job change.

“Kuhuhahaha…! You ignored me, so let’s see how you handle this!”

The Magic Minister who was scorned everywhere.

In the new world of “Maple Leaf Story,” his anger exploded.

It was as if he were taking revenge on how he was treated in the royal court, continuing his mischief within the story.

“Empire’s Light?”

He discovered [Empire's Light] during this time.

Empire’s Light was a sort of moniker for the First Prince.

And the First Prince always insisted that the Magic Department should be abolished and relations with Trinity should be increased.

That was a very rational argument based on profit interests.

Yet, in the eyes of the Magic Minister, the First Prince was always bothersome.

So, he became more persistent in his mischief against [Empire's Light].

Popularity updated, and now he was even afraid to log in.

Despite that, he couldn’t stop playing “Maple Leaf Story.”

It was just too fun…

“…So you want me to restore the popularity?”

“Exactly. Can I ask you for a favor?”

Amidst all this, Illusion Mages arrived at the royal court.

For Lenz, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Surrendering to mere Illusion Mages was something his pride as Magic Minister wouldn’t allow.

But that pride was defeated by the allure of “Maple Leaf Story.”

After long contemplation, Lenz sought out Rai’s room.

“That sounds difficult. You were the one who caused all that mischief, weren’t you?”

Though he had thrown away his pride to come here.

Rai’s reply was cold.

“…What?”

“Don’t be too disheartened. It’s natural for hidden desires to manifest in an anonymous world. But you should also know that it ultimately consumes you.”

Rai spoke firmly.

There was not a hint of emotional change in his expression.

As if it was only natural for things to have turned out this way. As if it were all Lenz’s fault.

Perhaps there was a hint of condescension in his gaze towards Lenz.

The typical glances Lenz received in the royal court.

The stares of the tower mages who looked down on the Royal Mages.

Somehow, those looks felt similar.

“Still…”

“-Are you daring to teach me now? Just a mere Illusion Mage?”

Lenz interrupted Rai with narrowed eyes.

He had opened up about his shame, all while being respected as the Royal Magic Minister.

Yet, a mere Illusion Mage was looking down on him.

The shame he had been holding back and the anger that had been building up all burst out.

“…That wasn’t my intention. But I can’t tolerate such remarks.”

“Then what will you do? Just a mere Illusion Mage. Just because one artifact has gained some attention, are you walking around with your nose in the air? You were bold enough to speak disrespectfully in front of the Emperor earlier, not even knowing your place as an Illusion Mage!”

The anger he had always been holding in.

Having already vented that anger in “Maple Leaf Story,” it spilled out more easily.

“There’s a reason the royal court has no Illusion Mages! There’s no need to accept people like you! ‘Illusion Magic’ is utterly useless!”

“Excessive gaming leads to violence… Maybe taking a break from gaming would be a good idea.”

“What?”

As Rai raised an eyebrow, he stood up and opened the window.

The cold night air helped cool the boiling anger that had surged up to his forehead.

“Oh, I didn’t mean to suggest stopping. I’m not that much of a petty person. However, I can’t tolerate the disrespect towards the Illusion Tower any longer.”

“Ha! The idea that Illusion Magic is worthless was already…”

“-It’s a widely accepted fact in every world. But that’s just how the world thinks. Just because it can’t do what other magics can doesn’t mean Illusion Magic is without value. Everything has its worth.”

Just like in a game. Everything has its unique value.

Of course, if someone plays a game excessively, it can lead to uncontrolled violence.

It was a double-edged sword.

“I think our Illusion Magic is greater than your royal magic.”

“What…! Whose safety are you talking about—”

Ultimately, Lenz exploded, kicking his chair away and standing up.

At the same time, a massive amount of mana began to gather in his hands.

“Calm down. You’re not going to use such powerful magic in the palace, right? Instead, how about we do this?”

“…?”

“Tomorrow, let’s have a magic duel. One of the royal mages against one of our Illusion Mages here.”

“W-wait a minute, Rai? Me?”

“Yes. I’m the junior in the tower after all, and it wouldn’t be fair for me to fight against the head of the Royal Mages. You’ll just need to bring a suitable opponent.”

“Why should I do that?”

“If the royal side wins, I’ll restore your popularity. You can change your nickname however you like. But if we win, you’ll formally apologize to us and officially recognize Illusion Magic as a legitimate form of magic in the royal court. And you’ll take responsibility for spreading that recognition widely throughout the royal court, so the world acknowledges the value of Illusion Magic too.”

The royal court had never recognized Illusion Magic as real magic.

However, if the royal court were to acknowledge it, it was certain that the perception of Illusion Magic would change globally.

“…Very well. Just what do you think Illusion Magic is worth for?”

Taking a moment to breathe, Lenz replied.

Of course, he thought that he wouldn’t lose to mere Illusion Magic.

If he didn’t accept this proposal, he would never regain his popularity anyway, so he chose to suppress his anger and accept it.

“Yes. Don’t worry.”

Bang—

Lenz left without offering another word, slamming the door shut.

Rai snickered as he watched Lenz’s retreating figure.

On the other hand, Rain was in a panic.

“R-Rai! What kind of promise have you made! A magic duel, you say!”

“What’s the problem? If it’s at the same level, we can win, right?”

“How can we win! It’s Illusion Magic!”

“We can win. It’s a magic duel, not a kill order.”

“Haa… I don’t know…! How can you do something so reckless!”

Rain clutched her head and threw herself onto the bed.

Rai looked at her with a bitter smile.

“…But we need to show how amazing Rain really is.”

“…!”

“I didn’t forget about you, did I?”

Lenz, as the Magic Minister, was also Rain’s father.

Rain had been driven away from him shortly after taking her talent test at ten years old, so it had been a long time since then.

Now, much time had passed, and he didn’t even recognize his own daughter standing right in front of him.

“…Were you doing it on purpose, Rai?”

“Perhaps Rain is so beautiful now that he couldn’t recognize her? I mean, the Magic Minister is so short; he probably never expected his daughter to be this tall.”

“…Pfft. That’s not—my mother was tall! Ah, that’s not the point! What do we do now!”

Rai replied, smiling.

“We’ll just win. I know how great your magic is.”

Having witnessed her magic, Rai knew.

There was no way Rain’s magic was lacking. Even though she was a B-class mage, he thought she was even superior to himself, an S-class.

And he also knew how hard Rain had worked to polish that mere Illusion Magic.

Rain was an incredible mage, unlike any other.

“We’re mages too.”

And then the next day broke.

*

“Suddenly a magic duel with an Illusion Mage? So that’s what made the “Maple Leaf Story”?”

“Apparently it’s a different Illusion Mage. I heard they challenged us.”

“Really? We have to be looked down upon by the Illusion Tower as well?”

“Hey, if you’re not careful, you’ll end up on the blacklist.”

The royal mages were loud from the morning.

This was all because a magic duel with an Illusion Mage had sprung up unexpectedly today.

“Sigh… I need to hurry and play the game.”

And the one chosen for the magic duel was the Royal Mage Domur.

A steel B-class attribute mage and the nephew of the Magic Minister.

Recently engrossed in “Maple Leaf Story,” he was annoyed by this sudden schedule.

“You must win, Domur.”

“Understood, uncle. There’s no way I’ll lose to an Illusion Mage!”

Domur answered casually and headed for the dueling area.

He wanted to finish quickly and get back to gaming.

“By the way, I’ve never seen a magic duel with an Illusion Mage?”

“Exactly. Can they even score a hit?”

“Looks like those artifacts are selling well, giving them some newfound pride. But to rush into a magic duel is a bit…”

“That woman, I think? Heheh, what a pity.”

Illusion Mages rarely engage in magical duels.

They generally didn’t even show up for such events.

In fact, there had been no Illusion Mages participating in magic duels before.

Both Domur and the royal mages around him thought the same.

But,

“…Huh?”

“Hey, what’s wrong with that guy?”

“I-If this goes on, we might lose…!”

As the magic duel began, their reactions flipped in an instant.