400 – #1. Wedding March Irid – 3

“……….”

Looks like he’s dying of embarrassment. The Azure Tower Lord covered his face with both hands, bowing his head as he waged a desperate internal battle against the shame surging within.

At first, I wasn’t sure what was going on.

But after hearing from Baekseol that this man’s hobby was jumping the gun, and that he possessed a hitherto infallible predictive ability, I understood.

It’s just a larger-scale version of situations that happen all the time, isn’t it?

Like when a friend praises me in a KakaoTalk message, and I, all smug, declare ‘it’s not *that* big a deal,’ only to discover the message wasn’t about me at all.

Or when a female friend hands me a love letter, and I, all flustered, assume she’s confessing and eagerly accept with ‘I like you too!’ only to learn she was just delivering it for someone else. That sort of thing.

A person can make mistakes, right?

“Then, would you kindly explain…precisely what those negotiations and exchanges, conducted solely within your mind, entailed? Azure Magic Tower Lord.”

“……….Yes. Well, it’s, you see…”

The Azure Magic Tower Lord began his explanation with a demeanor that was the polar opposite of when he was just spouting his own thoughts. Before, he was brimming with confidence and speaking boldly, but now, he was awkward and stilted, as if reading from a script.

“Hmm. I believe we are forming a shared understanding. So, although the ability isn’t working, I hope you can sense what I’m trying to convey. Ah, is my speaking tempo acceptable?”

Baekseol, who had been summoned as the explainer, watched the Azure Tower Lord with a strange expression. As she did, the color in the Azure Tower Lord’s face warmed slightly.

“Baekseol, I’m sorry, but please be quiet…”

“I haven’t said a word.”

“You were so boastful to those on whom ‘Complete Analysis’ worked, but now that you’ve met someone on whom it *doesn’t*, you were about to say I’m terribly inept at speaking, weren’t you?!”

“That’s right. You really *are* terrible at speaking, Tower Lord.”

Having spent his entire life cheating at conversation, the Azure Tower Lord needed a fair amount of time to become accustomed to the act of ordinary communication. Still, it didn’t take as long to normalize as I thought.

So, what was the story? Ultimately, it was an invitation. To visit sometime and have a nice, deep talk.

“I’m rather busy these days, so it would have to be much later. I think I have at least ten scheduled weddings to attend.”

“There’s no rush. There is plenty of time. If need be, you can visit a century from now; it wouldn’t matter.”

“Well…yes. I suppose so.”

It didn’t sound like empty words. She showed no impatience or urgency. She seemed to genuinely believe that visiting a hundred years from now would be perfectly fine.

As the conversation seemed to be drawing to a close, I stroked my chin, pondering.

“You mentioned an Imoogi,” I said.

“Yes.”

“That expression alone has made me want to visit the Azure Tower. But if you’re able, would you mind throwing out a few more tidbits to pique my interest further?”

“Willingly. If you would indulge me with a touch more seriousness, it would be my pleasure as well.”

The Azure Tower Lord gazed into my eyes.

Her pupils shimmered like cracked glass. Each facet reflecting me, imperfectly. A 『Complete Analysis』that had fallen short just moments before.

And the Azure Tower Lord, unerringly, plucked out the very sentence to pique my interest.

“To stain the soul with emotion, and from that fable, to sublimate, twisting the very form of the soul with feeling. Then, the next step is… You are already aware, are you not?”

“…Sufficient. Intriguing.”

“Until later, then.”

The Azure Tower Lord turned away with a crisp smile. Snowdrift followed close behind. Judging by their direction, she was going to pay her respects to Irid.

Quite the character, that one.

“…Didn’t I tell you to be quiet?!”

“But I didn’t say anything.”

Even squabbling with her own student. Seeing her once should be enough to etch her into memory… one would think.

But the afterimage is faint, odorless, like the air itself. As the memories of her began to vanish from my mental storehouse with unnatural speed, I had to repeatedly recall her, preserving her against the tide.

It wasn’t some memory-erasing beam directed at me. I surmise it’s an inherent 『Quality』 of the Azure Tower Lord. A constitution that makes it difficult to lodge in the memories of others… for whatever reason.

No wonder, despite being somewhat of a recluse. Not even a grain of rumor concerning the Azure Tower Lord ever reached my ears.

Peek-a-boo.

Yuna fluttered over and clung to my back like a cicada. Perhaps she was worried about me speaking with the largely unfamiliar Azure Tower Lord, she had been concealed, on standby nearby.

“…Were you alright?”

“Yes. Well, she doesn’t seem to be the type who wants to set the world ablaze. Irid was wary, saying her intentions were inscrutable, but in my estimation, she is not an 『Enemy』.”

“Hmm.”

Still, her abilities warrant a respect tinged with caution.

In battle, discerning the enemy’s intentions is paramount. And despite some discrepancies, she read my inner thoughts, a near-stranger, however incompletely.

And the final line she uttered was, again, surgically precise in hitting my area of interest. 『Complete Analysis』… I hadn’t actively defended against it, but I imagine she wasn’t exactly wielding it with full force either.

Above all, the time.

She wasn’t the only one observing. I too, had been studying her from multiple angles.

I caught glimpses of the Azure Tower Lord’s abnormally accelerated metabolism. I know what that implies. The Azure Tower researches time-related magic, or so they say. The Tower Lord, at its pinnacle, must have a considerable grasp on manipulating time.

Much like how I tinker in Sessions. The time inside a Session is magnified, sometimes tenfold, compared to outside, the Azure Tower Lord seems capable of manifesting a similar power in reality.

Not some insane ability to stop time across the entire world, I imagine. If that were the case, she would have long since decapitated the Azure Dragon of the Deep Sea and hung its head atop the Azure Tower.

Nor does it seem to be a strict application of physics-type power. If a fist launched within slowed time adhered faithfully to the laws of physics, the air expelled would trigger a natural-nuclear explosion, exceeding the speed of light.

Even taking that into account, to summarize roughly.

“To infinitely dissect time and use it, to peer into the hearts of enemies…”

Just pelting him with snowballs would make him overwhelmingly powerful.

I could vaguely understand the words that the Blue Tower Lord was the most combat-proficient among the Magic Tower Lords.

—

The Empire occupies most of the continent’s land. But if you keep going west, you’ll find land that isn’t the Empire, where kingdoms of roughly equal size repeatedly rise and fall.

Currently, there are about three.

The difference in national power between the Empire and the kingdoms is overwhelming. But if you ask how these kingdoms can survive, it’s because the Empire has no interest in them whatsoever.

The Empire is already wealthy enough to be self-sufficient. So there’s no reason to invade or annex those tiny kingdoms.

The land to the west is barren, with little farmland and not particularly impressive resource deposits. So swallowing it would cause more harm than good.

Therefore, the basic stance is non-aggression.

The kingdoms live amongst themselves, and the Empire does its own thing internally. Trading occurs, but without much interference, a slightly aloof relationship.

Irid had grown up learning that way, so he had no interest in the kingdom’s people. Until he was tempered in the mad wizard’s session, that is.

“……..”

One hundred years from now, the United Kingdom will swallow the chaotic Empire and effectively control it.

No matter how much the Empire has fallen into internal strife, even an old lion is still a lion. The fact that a sick Empire could be swallowed meant that the United Kingdom had tremendous potential.

It must be watched closely. So Irid expanded the existing intelligence network to reach the kingdom.

“It was all fiction.”

Indeed. The mad wizard’s repeated words to Irid, “This is just illusion magic,” were a simple fact.

Therefore, Irid’s efforts to be wary of the United Kingdom became a grand shadowboxing match.

No wonder I couldn’t find any particularly dangerous signs, no matter how hard I searched!

The Emperor of the Empire frowned and massaged his temples, and Sentra, beside him, cautiously observed his mood and said,

“Irid, are you still angry with Father…?”

“I’m not angry. I’m not angry, but.”

He had already forgiven the lie. However, what remained in his heart wasn’t anger that he should be sent to the gallows! It was more of a desire to just smack him on the top of his head.

“I once promised that I would forgive up to three acts of rudeness. So, in the end, I couldn’t hit the mad wizard back then…!”

How frustrated he had been when he charged into the Magic Tower with a warhammer, only to be presented with an all-forgiving pass along with a *dogeza* apology. At the time, Irid had to grit his teeth and turn back.

That strange dissatisfaction was still weighing on his chest.

Frankly, it was frustrating enough to haunt his dreams. It was like being unilaterally crushed in a forehead-flicking match with a friend and then not being able to get a rematch.

But there was still a chance for revenge.

“I know the mad wizard’s personality well. He’s bound to do something strange to celebrate the wedding, and then I can use that as an excuse to punch him.”

“…They even gave us a wedding gift, you know?”

“I haven’t checked it yet, worried it might be something…awkward. If it’s some trinket, I might just box their ears. Did you happen to peek at Centra’s gift?”

“Yes. I took a little look, just to confirm the contents. I won’t spoil the surprise, though. I think… Irid will definitely like it. I really hope so.”

*Hmm.* So, a decent gift after all.

Perhaps I should examine it before thinking further. For now, it was time to fulfill my duties as Emperor and the groom.

Diplomacy.

Before and after the ceremony, I must circulate amongst the guests, welcoming them with proper decorum and radiating imperial authority and trustworthiness.

“Will you join me?”

“Hehe… Of course, Irid. I’d gladly stay by your side forever, if you’d have me.”

“The feeling is mutual.”

Irid, arm-in-arm with Centra in her snow-white dress, strolled into the party hall. First on the agenda: to greet the walking strategic weapons of the Empire—the Archmages.

Starting with Vermillion, the Red Archmage.

She wore a gown like a night sky wrought of the darkest fabric, appearing as though a single, long cloth had simply been wrapped and draped to form its shape.

And, its revealing nature was… extreme. The bare minimum of material, reminiscent of the legendary Saintess Tara in her prime.

A mountain of men found themselves in a tug-of-war between the desire to gawk at her exposed shoulders and back, and the creeping dread that doing so might result in their homes going up in flames.

She raised her glass, swirling with rose-colored wine. “Congratulations on the wedding, Emperor.”

“Thank you. Though… I can’t help but feel that attire is a bit much.”

“This *is* considered formal wear. I am standing before a powerful overlord who has brought even the clergy of the Goddess Church to their knees, am I not? So I bundled myself up tight. Nearly suffocating, in fact.”

“…”

*That’s* bundled up?

Next was the Gold Archmage. A gorgeous giant, towering at nearly 240 centimeters.

From afar, she appeared to be a composed and lovely woman, but upon closer inspection, one realized that her perspective was… off. She tipped her wide-brimmed hat, offering her congratulations.

“When will you be lifting the Greenbelt restrictions?”

“…That’s hardly a congratulation, Gold Archmage.”

“Hehe… Congratulations are not given in mere words, Your Majesty. All my sincerity is packed into the gift I sent, so please, appreciate it well. So, about the Greenbelt?”

“When you can submit a document outlining how to prevent collateral damage from terraforming new celestial bodies out of the earth, *then* we’ll talk.”

Irid drew a firm line and moved on to the next.

Following her, he greeted the Azure Archmage. In terms of inscrutability, she instilled an even stronger sense of unease than the other two. That was why he sent the Mad Mage, and it seemed things had worked out reasonably well.

Stealing a glance at the Mad Mage as he approached, Irid saw him discreetly give a thumbs-up. Followed by a hand signal indicating “low risk.”

So it was. Enshrouded by the unknown, was it simply a misunderstanding? Was she, in fact, a perfectly normal human?

“May your marriage and life flow with happiness, swift as embers fading in the wind.”

Yes. I hadn’t expected more.

As Irid was carefully mulling over the statement, ambiguous as to whether it was a barb or not, Snowdrop, glued to the Archmage’s side, quickly added further explanation.

“Please do not misunderstand, Your Imperial Majesty. The Archmage abhors the concept of eternity, and thus eschews the common phrase ‘live happily ever after.’ In other words, she has selected only the most auspicious words from her vocabulary to bestow upon you.”

“…I am grateful, Archmage. And to your disciple as well.”

And the last…

The Violet Archmage, Yuna Blackraven Violetiris.

“C-congratulations on your wedding, Your Imperial Majesty! Wah, wah. Sentra, this is just wonderful! I don’t know how long I’ve waited for this. U-um, Your Imperial Majesty. Would it be alright if I bestow a blessing upon you as a token of my congratulations? I-it’s not magic, just words. But if you’d rather not…”

Watching Yuna sputter out a torrent of words in a fluster, Irid felt with his whole being that justice and hope still lived in this world. At last, a proper congratulation.

He bowed his head to Yuna with an expression of utmost gentleness.

“A blessing from my mother-in-law is always welcome. May I ask for it?”

“M-mother-in-law…! Um, well, that is…”

Yuna rummaged through her left and right pockets, then unfolded a crumpled piece of paper with handwritten lines. She began to read,

A heart overflowing with wishes for happiness.

“Appreciate the serendipitous connection that shines like a dream, dream an unshakable dream, and in the end, love as brightly as the sun!”

“Ptooey──!! Cough, cough!”

And the mad mage listening nearby choked on the familiar phrase.

Irid and Sentra looked at each other, savoring the shared happiness that fleeting glance afforded them, then answered with beaming smiles.

“Yes. Just as you have blessed us, we will live loving each other even more than that blessing dictates.”

“So don’t worry, Mother. We will… be demonstrably happy!”

“…Y-yes! Yes yes!”

The moment that marked the completion of Cupid Yuna’s success story number one.

—

After lightly greeting the nobles and mages of the Empire, as well as local dignitaries, Irid’s steps turned toward the envoys from the Kingdom.

Had the misunderstandings not been cleared, he would have engaged in a sharp war of nerves with the guests from the Kingdom. As a potential enemy nation, he would have tried to unearth their secrets or assert diplomatic dominance with venomous wit.

But things were different now. Now Irid could treat the Kingdom’s guests with ease. He would only conscientiously pursue a modicum of diplomatic gain.

As he resolved to approach them, he noticed a slight commotion unfolding.

“Even if you are an emissary of the Goddess Church, I will not tolerate further insults!”

“It’s not an insult. I’m simply confirming an abnormal reaction, I tell you! If you doubt my abilities, we can summon another adjudicator. Though I hardly know where one might find an identifier more reliable than a Saintess!”

The Saintess Tara, representing the Goddess Church, and the representative of the delegation from the Kingdom – the Second Princess Evra – traded words.

“Saintess Tara, what troubles you?”

“Ah, Your Imperial Majesty. Congratulations on the wedding. It’s just that… a dark magic signature has surfaced from the Kingdom’s princess.”

“… … … …?”

Images of the Crown Hall and the Allied Kingdom a century hence flickered through Irid’s mind. No. This is fiction, after all.

Even if he was a notorious, magic-crazed mage known for his skill in hunting down dark sorcerers, there was no way he could’ve stumbled upon this by sheer luck.

The Second Princess Evra, undeterred by the mounting pressure from the Empire’s people, stood firm and cried out, defending her innocence.

“Dark magic, you say! How audacious! I merely… incorporate a technique that slightly squeezes my soul when I use magic!”

“That *is* dark magic.”

“Hieeeeee?!”

*Thump!*

The princess wore an expression as if the heavens themselves were collapsing.