399 – #1. Wedding March Irid -2

Irid gripped my shoulder like a raptor seizing its prey.

“Perfect timing. There’s something I wanted to ask of you.”

His gleaming blue eyes held that predatory glint, the “you’re just who I needed” aura so familiar to personnel managers, so I raised both hands, explaining the reason for my visit.

“Oh, I just came to deliver a gift. Figured giving it to you during the wedding would be bothersome and annoying, so I thought I’d do a little early access…”

“I don’t know what you were planning to give, but if you want to celebrate my wedding, I’d prefer you take on a job instead of a gift. There’s something only you can do.”

“Oh, really?”

Hearing those words, my curiosity surged.

Now, it’s official. I’m a bona fide butcher’s blade for those damned beasts. I haven’t Ascended, no, but I’m treated as if I have, and I even heard I’m filed under Ascended Agents at the Defense Bureau HQ.

Which explains the order I got last time. From now on, if you want to go anywhere, for the sake of preventing the many lords from suffering cardiac arrest, kindly submit a location change request.

So, for them to single out someone like me, to deem me essential… Wouldn’t you be curious about what’s going on? Did some pseudo-dragon revive? Or is it the reincarnation of a mecha necromancer?

“Escort duty.”

Escort?

“The Archmages from each Magic Tower have indicated their intention to attend the wedding. But, as you know, the Imperial Sword Saint, the core of the Imperial Palace guard… has retired. You’re practically the only Ascended-level security personnel we have.”

“What about Luru?”

“…Do you think she’d make a suitable escort?”

“Well, she’s not exactly the escort type, is she?”

She has that image of accidentally obliterating the person she’s meant to protect. And she lacks the finesse needed for delicate control.

Besides, when you think about it, illusion magic is perfectly suited for escort duty. Of course, there’s the caveat that you have to be competent to a certain degree, but isn’t it a near-omnipotent form of magic?

Good. Then I’ll prepare for the eventuality of some crazed Ascended lunatic trying to slit Irid’s throat at the wedding.

“And also, as an extension of the escort duty, there’s one more task.”

“Go ahead. I’m listening.”

“Ostensibly, it’s to greet the guests, but…”

Aha!

I knew it. Greet, and it involves some unhinged mage.

“You want me to unleash『Heart』here, is that it? Why didn’t you say so sooner! This Han Han-yul, if His Majesty commands it, will unsheathe the forbidden blade of 『Re-Debut』that I’ve kept sealed away──”

“No. It’s not that kind of greeting. If I had to classify it, it’s closer to surveillance. Surveillance. So, stow away those desires.”

Wasn’t an Aha after all.

“It wasn’t exactly a burning desire, but… Who is it?”

“The person we need you to mark is the Azure Archmage.”

“Oh.”

The Azure Archmage, huh?

I’d only met her once. When the Archmages gathered to try to scout me, she was the one who suggested we slay the Azure Dragon and reclaim Atlantis.

After that, I strangely never heard anything about her. I even met the Crimson Archmage directly, and heard about the Gold Archmage through a third party. But the Azure Archmage was shrouded in a mystery of silence.

“Surely, the Azure Archmage is supposed to be one of the stronger ones, right?”

“Indeed. The former Sword Saint…thought so too. He said she’s the most combat-adept of the Archmages.”

“Come to think of it, it’s weird that she’s been so quiet. The Crimson Archmage at least sent troops, and the Gold Archmage at least provided financial support. The Azure Archmage didn’t do anything.”

*Tap*. Irid snapped his fingers, as if I’d said something brilliant.

“That’s the one. They say the Azure Tower Lord is a little… different. Like the other Tower Lords, she chases after some hidden desire, but her perspective is skewed. That’s why Father treats her with something close to neglect.”

“So…surveillance?”

“Yes. Truthfully, I didn’t even expect her to attend the wedding. But she’s coming. The envoys from the Kingdom, the regional nobles, the rest of the rabble—I can handle them all myself. But I can’t do anything about her. So—”

An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a madman for a madman.

Since she’s someone whose inner thoughts are impossible to decipher, he wants to throw me, a near-omnipotent tool, at her to set up a safety net. I understood perfectly.

I pounded my chest and nodded with confidence.

“Yes, well, leave it to me! Unless they’re completely out of their minds, I can charm the pants off anyone!”

“There’s no need to charm them. It’s enough to just prevent any problems.”

“I’ll turn her into someone who’s 120% loyal to the Imperial Family. Just watch me!”

“That’s enough, I said.”

This brilliant mind can scan a target’s every passion and desire in an instant. So, no matter who the other person is, no matter what kind of character they have, if I can just get them talking, I’m confident I can smooth things over with a few well-placed words.

Besides, how special can someone really be? Let’s do this. And then, let’s sweep away Irid’s worries and concerns and help him focus solely on the wedding.

At the time, that’s what I thought.

⋯⋯⋯⋯.

“Fine. I accept that agreement. Shall we head to a secluded place, then? The bedroom would be suitable.”

“Excuse me?”

“I’m sorry, but I can’t answer that question. The timing isn’t appropriate.”

“⋯⋯⋯⋯??”

I froze with my head awkwardly bowed, ready to offer a greeting.

To avoid any misunderstandings, let me be clear, I hadn’t expressed any intention to her. I don’t know anything about the agreement she’s talking about. I hadn’t even greeted her yet. I hadn’t even opened my mouth. Understand?

Let’s go to the bedroom. That was her first sentence to me, on our first meeting.

“There’s no need to be surprised. It was only natural.”

“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”

Watching the Azure Tower Lord nonchalantly sweep back her white hair, I quietly thought to myself.

Is she out of her goddamn mind…?

—

Time.

“I swear it. I shall dedicate all my time to you, buried in the depths of the sea.”

Let’s assume there’s a person who has obtained infinite time.

“My life is so meager and weightless that even if piled up like a mountain, its weight would barely amount to a grain. Transcendence, ‘Achromatic Altitude’.”

It’s not about discussing eternal life. It’s a hypothetical about a person who can stretch a single second into decades, having more than enough time to invest in every endeavor of their life until they are utterly satisfied.

They have a vast store of time, always accessible.

That person could spend ten years savoring a single dish, agonizing over a single conversation for ten years, and cram for an exam for ten years in the second before it starts.

Their life’s density is simply different from that of ordinary people.

And here the question arises: After that person has become free from the constraints of time, and after they have spent a great deal of time becoming thoroughly familiar with their own abilities…

What kind of person would they become?

Knock, knock.

“Master of the Blue Tower. You must leave. You promised.”

“But there are still 15 seconds until the agreed time…”

The answer, it turns out, is ‘an utterly incorrigible sluggard.’

Thwack.

The Blue Tower mage, Baekseol, planted her hands firmly on her hips and tilted her eyebrows to an exaggerated degree, outwardly expressing her displeasure.

But that emotional display failed to reach the Blue Tower Master, who was swaddled in blankets. Baekseol calmly explained the reasons why he needed to get up immediately.

“Now there are only 10 seconds left. I have no intention of bearing the burden of the Master’s tardiness, and also. Punctuality is important, as we promised to meet Selbier early. I will leave you behind if you do not get up.”

“But there are still 3 seconds remaining…”

“Three, two, one. Three seconds have now passed. There is no time remaining, so get up.”

“But there are still negative 5 seconds remaining…”

“……..”

Bubble, bubble.

You don’t call that ‘remaining’. That is being late. Weren’t you the one who asked to be woken up? Get that blanket out of the way, and so on. Words she wanted to say churned like lava inside Baekseol.

“Haaah…”

Baekseol restrained herself because she wasn’t like Selbier, a child with a bit of lacking refinement. Some people would rather maintain the dignity upon their shoulders, than honestly express their feelings.

“Are you really not going to get up?”

“Mmm, I’m going to sleep a little more since there are still negative 30 seconds left…”

“……..”

Baekseol barely suppressed the urge to puff out her cheeks. Then, she packed her belongings and went down to the lobby on the first floor of the tower. A coachman was already waiting there.

She boarded the carriage and signaled for departure.

“Um, u-uhm. Mage-nim. The Blue Tower Master has not boarded yet?”

“It doesn’t matter. Depart.”

“…Yes, ma’am.”

*Thud-thud, thud-thud.* The horse’s legs moved busily. The carriage began its journey towards Crown Hall. Blanc Neige stretched her legs out on the seat and opened her spellbook.

But the magic – the formulae – swam before her eyes. Her lingering resentment wouldn’t let her focus. As ever, a head feverish with anger or frustration drastically reduced study efficiency.

The fact that she’d asked to be woken up and then hadn’t risen was annoying, but the *real* annoyance lay elsewhere.

This whole charade – the waking, the bickering, and finally, the exasperated solo departure – was entirely unnecessary.

*Tick*.

The second hand on her wrist watch clicked forward.

“Abandoning your mentor and leaving first? How cruel.”

“…”

The Azure Tower Master had seemingly been there all along, materializing instantly onto the carriage seat. Stark naked save for a robe, clutching a toothbrush and a rinsing cup.

This wasn’t spatial teleportation. The Azure Tower Master had employed *Chronal Elongation*.

Stretching a single second like dough, she’d managed to bathe, pick eye boogers, brush her teeth, walk along the road, catch up with the carriage, board, and close the door.

The temporal indulgences of the time-rich Azure Tower Master didn’t end there.

“Nuh-uh.”

“Please put some clothes—”

“Nuh-uh.”

“Don’t preemptively ans—”

A predictive ability verging on precognition. Through a complex series of linked spells, the Azure Tower Master possessed the power to foresee the next words and actions of others.

The real masterpiece was that Blanc Neige was the only one who knew about this side of her.

The carriage driver, who’d been anxiously wondering if he should have left the Azure Tower Master behind, turned his head to check inside upon hearing the voices from the back.

“Ah, Tower Master. I was worried about departing before you…”

“Oh, it’s just a bit of playful teasing between a cold disciple and her mentor. Nothing to fret over. Please, focus on driving.”

“Y-yes, ma’am.”

In that brief moment the driver turned his head, the Azure Tower Master had fully dressed. Gone was the naked-robe-clad weirdo; in her place stood an erudite, poised Grand Magus.

No one would believe her if she told them the truth. They’d just accuse her of slander.

It wasn’t that she disliked it. Blanc Neige did not dislike her. She understood, intellectually, that this behavior was a form of affection. It was just so incomprehensible and unnecessary that it was frustrating.

If you like something, say you like it; if you don’t, say you don’t. Why did this Grand Magus have to be so bothersome?

Blanc Neige posed the question she’d asked countless times before.

“…Why do you do this?”

And the response, as always, was a cryptic riddle.

“Because I enjoy *wasting time*.”

“……”

Again, incomprehensible. I only sensed, vaguely, that it held something deeper than the literal meaning.

If a problem can’t be solved by contemplation, it’s a waste of time to dwell on it. Snow White decided to think about the Emperor’s upcoming wedding ceremony.

“Why are you attending?”

“Because a genius I failed to scout is there. He seems to have become a Phantom Magician now, but that talent wouldn’t have vanished. Yes. I’m going to the wedding to negotiate with the ‘Mad Wizard’.”

The Azure Tower Master twisted a strand of her white, free-flowing hair around her finger as she spoke.

That talent.

A talent that transcends countries and eras to change the world. The four Tower Masters who had gathered in that small mountain village had certainly seen a glimpse of it.

“The Crimson and Gold Tower Masters were only preoccupied with fulfilling their own ‘Grand Desires’. But I’m different. I know exactly what that glimpse signifies.”

“Surely, if the Tower Master is showing this much interest—”

“If I’m showing interest, it must be related to dragons. Yes, you’re right. And I hate it.”

“Could you please just let me finish—ugh…”

Snow White massaged her forehead, squeezing her eyes shut.

The Azure Tower Master hummed a tune, letting time slip by. She was the one who had been tracking the Azure Dragon of the Deep Sea for a very long time. Therefore, only she knew the value of the Mad Wizard.

Until now, the sky had been too dark to take action──

But now that half of the shadow covering the sky had disappeared, it was worth moving, even with some risk.

There was plenty of ‘time to spare’. The groundwork for perfect persuasion had been laid. The ‘Information Gathering’ magic she had clung to, desperately scraping together the faint signals emanating from the deep sea, had created an enormous synergy with her sublimation ability.

‘Complete Analysis’ – mostly used to tease her apprentice, Snow White.

With this, she intended to penetrate the ‘Mad Wizard’, predict his next words and actions, analyze him thoroughly, and create a persuasion with a 100% success rate. That was the plan.

But there was a blind spot in the Azure Tower Master’s seemingly perfect plan.

The ‘Mad Wizard’s’ mind was a vast metropolis teeming with modules, occasionally visited by Aisha and Yuri, and sometimes even by NPCs.

His own computational power was comparable to that of a goddess.

Therefore, the ‘Complete Analysis’ that the Azure Tower Master had been so confident in was imperfectly cast on the various personalities residing within the Mad Wizard, and the result was…

“I’m glad that the negotiations were successful.”

“What negotiations are you talking about…?”

“Hehe. Of course, I’ll keep the secret. We’re both Imugi, after all. Right?”

“No, I mean, there needs to be an actual conversation before a secret can even exist…?! I know you’re doing something magical, Selvier! Selvier! Someone call Snow White…!”

A resounding failure.

The Azure Tower Master herself believed that she was having an intellectual and subtle conversation – completing a book’s worth of discussion with just a few short, peculiar sentences – a conversation befitting great mages. But in reality…

“Ah, interaction between disciples is also good for strengthening bonds, isn’t it.”

“So, shouldn’t we at least start with some…grain-of-rice-sized exchanges between ourselves?!”

Thus began a maddening conversation with absolutely no communicative thread.