[V7C9] The Symbols of Peace Are For Political Exploitation

“Good evening, Cecilia-sama. I had the pleasure of meeting your grandfather, Duke Achenwall, at the banquet in Lotzen…”

“Oh dear, Princess Cecilia, you are even more lovely in person…”

“I am honored to meet you today…”

As the nobles rotated in and out one after another, Cecilia smiled and exchanged pleasantries with each. All of them were attending this party to assess her. She couldn’t afford to let her guard down for a single moment.

Pretending to adjust her the lace stole, Cecilia moved her hand to suppress the knot in her stomach.

She wanted nothing more than to return to the palace and lock herself in her room. However, she had a duty to stay at the banquet until the last moment, and greet as many people as possible.

Was she behaving with confidence? Did the lack of confidence show on her face? Were her responses good enough?

After every exchange, Cecilia reflected on the hidden meaning behind their comments, as well as checking if she had been polite enough.

(Oh, I wonder if I am still maintaining a proper smile… Was that the appropriate response…? I hope I didn’t upset him… Maybe I could have given a more clever reply…)

Meanwhile, yet another person stood in front of Cecilia. She was a woman in a flashy rose-patterned dress.

The Silent Witch stood diagonally behind the woman, so perhaps she was affiliated with the mages.

As Cecilia was thinking this, the woman curled her bright red lips into a smile.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Cecilia-sama. I am the Fourth Thorn Witch, Melissa Roseberg.”

House Roseberg was the most famous lineage of magicians in all of Ridill. Above all, the First Thorn Witch had a deep connection with the Empire. Her name was feared across the land.

Melissa narrowed her green eyes and stared intently at Cecilia. That lingering, no, entangling gaze meant only one thing.

(…I am being assessed.)

At times like these, the best response was to brush it off with a gentle smile.

Play it safe, be unremarkable. That was how Cecilia had navigated high society so far.

“It is nice to meet you, Melissa-sama. The reputation of House Roseberg has reached the Empire as well. I am truly delighted to meet the renowned Thorn Witch.”

“The honor is all mine. Hohoho.”

Melissa laughed, but her eyes reflected no sense of humor. They were busy observing every move Cecilia made.

What would be the right topic to broach? Should she bring up the current head of House Roseberg? However, on the off chance that Melissa and the current head were not on good terms, that might turn the mood sour.

Perhaps she should play it safe by complimenting Melissa’s dress or accessories…? As Cecilia struggled to find a topic, Melissa took a step closer, leaning in as if to share a secret, speaking with her fan just barely hiding her lips.

“I may not look like it, but I am skilled in making magical potions. If you ever need anything, please feel free to ask. I am confident you will be pleased by my goods, Cecilia-sama.”

“I see. I may take you up on that offer when the time comes.”

Apparently, Melissa was after business. Made sense. If Cecilia officially became Crown Princess, there would be no better business partner.

In which case, pretending to be interested in her magical potions seemed like the correct approach.

However, before Cecilia could bring up the topic, Melissa turned her gaze behind Cecilia and exclaimed…

“Oh! That is the renowned Dream Mage, Casper Hutter-sama! Look, look, Silent Witch-sama! See! It’s the Dream Mage!”

In response to the overly excited Melissa, the Silent Witch said nothing, appearing troubled. Noticing this, Melissa narrowed her eyes and continued with a lower tone.

“…Oh? Could it be that you aren’t acquainted with the Dream Mage?”

At these words, Cecilia turned pale.

The Dream Mage, Casper Hutter, was serving as Cecilia’s escort. Yet the Silent Witch did not know about him——meaning, they had yet to exchange greetings.

(How could this happen! To think Hutter didn’t introduce himself!)

As Hutter was working under Cecilia, she became responsible for any diplomatic issues he caused.

Cecilia quickly turned to Monica. She needed to apologize immediately, then summon Hutter for introductions.

“Silent Witch-sama, I apologize for his delayed greeting. We have been incredibly rude to…”

“Kyaa! I’ve been dying to meet you, Dream Mage-sama! I am the Fourth Thorn Witch, Melissa Roseberg.”

Drowning out Cecilia’s words, Melissa screamed in a sweet, syrupy tone. Acting as if she didn’t even notice Cecilia, Melissa approached Hutter and continued with visible excitement.

“Dream Mage-sama, I heard you’re particularly skilled in illusion magic! The intricacy of your illusions is unmatched, right?”

“…I am honored by your praise, Fourth Thorn Witch-dono.”

Casper Hutter the Dream Mage was 32 years old. He was a tall man with glasses and short black hair, who seemed a bit rough and taciturn. His response to Melissa was very brief.

Since Melissa was practically screaming with excitement, Cecilia found it difficult to intervene. All she could do was fidget nervously.

Perhaps she should take this moment to apologize to the Silent Witch? But wouldn’t it be better to call Hutter over first…? While Cecilia was pondering her options, Melissa kept going on and on.

“Illusion magic is really challenging, isn’t it? There are barely any practitioners, even in our country! I would love to see the illusions of the great Dream Mage! …Wouldn’t that be wonderful, Cecilia-sama?”

(Oh… what now? I may offend her if I refuse…)

In that case, let Hutter showcase his illusions. Then she could take that chance to apologize to the Silent Witch, and have Hutter introduce himself properly.

After quickly formulating this plan in her mind, Cecilia responded to Melissa with a nod.

“Yes, of course. Hutter, please show us something.”

“…As you wish.”

Hutter nodded as well, and Melissa promptly interjected.

“In that case, I’d love to see birds! How about doves symbolizing peace! That would be perfect for showing the bright future ahead for the Empire and Ridill!”

Not a bad idea. It could liven up the atmosphere and convey the Empire’s friendly intentions.

“I see. Hutter, please go ahead.”

“Very well.”

Hutter closed his eyes and began focusing on his incantation.

Illusion magic held a somewhat unique position among the various schools of magecraft. It operated on an entirely different system from regular elemental spells, similar to barriers and curses.

After Hutter finished the lengthy incantation, several white birds materialized around him. There were about a dozen of them, flying with movements indistinguishable from real birds.

He had projected an illusion of a dozen entities, each with different movement patterns. This was naturally way more challenging than projecting still objects. No one could doubt his immense skill.

The guests in the venue erupted into cheers.

Even Melissa, the one who had requested the illusion, was enthusiastically shaking the Silent Witch’s shoulder. She shouted with an even louder voice than before.

“Silent Witch-sama, look! What a wonderful illusion! …But, it feels a bit lacking in color, don’t you think?”

Despite being the one who specifically requested white doves, Melissa casually mentioned the lack of color. Then, she poked lightly at the Silent Witch’s shoulder.

In response, the Silent Witch raised her right hand, pointing at the ceiling where the white birds were flying.

Once everyone’s attention was focused on her pointer finger, a large rainbow appeared on the ceiling. The Silent Witch had projected a rainbow with illusion magic.

Doves and rainbows were motifs commonly cited as the symbols of peace in any country.

A mage from Ridill and a mage from the Empire had just worked together to recreate these motifs——a perfect performance.

(Oh, what a relief… Silent Witch-sama isn’t angry.)

What’s more, she even played a role in this very peaceful performance.

Cecilia breathed a sigh of relief.

＊　＊　＊

Meanwhile, Monica also secretly breathed a sigh of relief at the same time.

(Onee-san had it all planned out…)

When Melissa said, “I’ll give him what’s coming,” Monica grew anxious about what she was plotting. However, the instruction Melissa gave her was surprisingly peaceful.

Namely, “When I give the signal, create a rainbow with chantless illusion magic.” That was all.

While Monica could cast illusion magic, she couldn’t use it with much precision. Illusions may be handy, but they consumed a great deal of mana and were difficult to control.

As a result, Monica lacked the ability to use other spells alongside illusion magic, and unlike the Dream Mage, she wasn’t skilled enough to project multiple moving objects.

That said, creating a rainbow with illusion magic was on the easy side. Rainbows didn’t need to move and they had a very simple shape. Moreover, a bit of blur only made it look more authentic.

(The last time I used illusion magic was… how many years ago?)

With a wry smile, Monica turned her gaze to the people in the venue. Everyone was captivated by the doves flying around the beautiful rainbow.

Melissa must have calculated this performance to showcase the Silent Witch’s presence while simultaneously showing deference to the Dream Mage.

Above all, the motif of peace made the overall impression positive.

(Onee-san really is amazing…!)

If Raul were here, he might have said, “Nah, if it’s my sister, there’s gotta be a punchline somewhere.”

Or if Ray were present, he might have said, “That woman… Just watch, she’ll definitely mess things up somehow…”

Unfortunately, Monica had yet to understand how extreme Melissa Roseberg truly was.

“Oh dear! Oh my! What a moving sight! I feel like my tears are overflowing!”

Melissa spread her arms in a theatrical gesture and exclaimed her joy with a voice that echoed throughout the venue.

“As expected of mages of the highest caliber! Both of you have created delightful illusions!”

Then, at the end of her soliloquy, Melissa smirked and said one final line…

“…Well, ours had no incantation though.”

Everyone in the room froze, including Monica.

(O-Onee-san…!!)

The last time Monica cast an illusion was approximately four years ago, at her Sage Induction Ceremony. Her fellow sage had threatened her, so she had to do her best while crying.

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