The Broken Possessors of the Infinite Regression Academy - Chapter 269



Chapter 269 – Side Story: Birthday Banquet – 4

As soon as I saw that absurd sight, I wanted to run away to Earth, but I held back and opened my mouth because I thought the aftermath would be unmanageable.

“Let’s start with disguise.”

“Huh? Disguise? Why?”

“If you were my older sister, would you be able to go into a place like that naked? I couldn’t. Absolutely not.”

I pointed to placards the size of apartment buildings floating in the sky and giant holograms standing all over the capital. Kang Yu-na snorted.

“Hey, I didn’t make that to tease you. I just wanted to celebrate your birthday. If I were you, of course-”

“Just in case, I’m telling you this. If you say you can, then I’ll do whatever it takes to make it happen for you on your birthday. In the middle of Seoul, in your name on my behalf, and I’ll even make a placard and a hologram. You know there’s absolutely nothing you can’t do for the value of the Eternal Guild name, right?”

“… … As I lived, I realized that nothing in this world is taken for granted. If it were me, I would have gone into hiding. I completely understand how you feel.”

And then, as soon as I let go of the stern words, he tucked his tail between his legs. It seemed like he didn’t have the confidence to handle such a mess.

We simply cast a disguise spell and headed to the capital. The capital was not small in size, so there were a considerable number of holograms. There was one everywhere you looked.

“Mother… … Father… … Oh my god… … .”

As soon as I reached the border, I quietly covered my face. A magically created sign explained that a part of the capital had been designated as a special banquet zone for the next ten days.

So, a full quarter of the imperial capital was designated as a banquet hall.

Although Laura and Erestica were largely responsible for obtaining the Emperor’s permission, it was the Crate family that was responsible for throwing out the money to sustain the banquet. It was truly on a scale beyond imagination.

“Look here, Yoo Seong-ah. There’s also a note written by the Emperor himself.”

Kang Ye-na looked at the writing underneath the hologram of my appearance. Next to her, Kang Yu-na read it out loud.

“I, the Emperor Ercarenziana Crescente von Eupherantis Bellium, would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the youngest of the Crate family, Mira Crate, on her birthday… … ? Wow, you’re amazing, Yoo Seong-ah. The Emperor himself wishes you a happy birthday?”

“I know… … .”

At first, Kang Yu-na was busy teasing me and making fun of me, but as the outline gradually began to emerge, the atmosphere changed to one where she couldn’t hide her surprise.

A commotion was coming from afar. Detection magic confirmed that it was a parade. It seemed to be a periodic march through the city.

“Hey, you, why are you acting so mortal on this fine day?”

Chin, an old man who was slightly drunk in broad daylight suddenly put his arm on my shoulder. His eyes were half-open because of how much he had drunk.

“Good day?”

“What a good day! What a good day! Do you know what Crate Top did? He told all the stores in the capital to sell at a discount and he would make up for the loss! 70% off! Everyone was very lucky thanks to him!”

The old man then gulped down a beer mug that looked to be about 1.5 liters in size.

“Ugh… … And that’s not all? If you go to the banquet special zone, you can eat and drink all the delicacies in the world for free! They don’t let just anyone in, but whatever! For people like us, this is enough to make us very grateful!”

“… …Is that so?”

“Yeah! Kekekeke, I don’t know who that Mira Crate guy is, but I can’t not congratulate him! Cheers to Mira Crate!”

The old man, who had finished the rest of his beer, laughed heartily and disappeared, saying that it was a nice day, so he should eat and drink refreshingly to relieve stress and not be too upset.

“… … .”

As my expression became half dead, the two people looked at each other quietly. After wiping my face and washing it dry, I opened my mouth.

“Let’s go.”

“Where?”

“Where is it? It’s called the Banquet Special Zone. I need to see for myself what they’re doing.”

It was a grandiose story, but we couldn’t go back anyway. We continued to move along the road. Every bar was full of people having fun. I could hear people celebrating my birthday here and there.

Most of what I say is probably something I’m saying while drunk and not even knowing who I am, but not after my birthday.

We soon arrived at a place designated as a special banquet area. Perhaps to restrict entry, a barrier magic covered the entire area, and a red carpet covered in purification magic was laid out from the entrance.

The red carpet extended far enough that it seemed as if it covered every inch of the road.

“Are you here?”

Kang Yu-na, holding all kinds of food in both hands, spoke while eating. At first, she looked at my expression, but from the middle, she said that it was food from another world and enjoyed it on her own.

Kang Ra-hye was also being swept away by her older sister and was carefully eating a chicken skewer. I didn’t want to stop others from doing the same, so I just left it alone. I’m enough to grab the back of her neck.

“It looks like they’re telling me to step on this and get in.”

“That’s right. And the moment you step on it, your biometric information will be shared. I think it’s for identification purposes.”

Just as I was about to get up, I noticed the presence of another magic besides the purification magic installed on the red carpet. Then, I sensed someone’s presence right next to me.

“Hey, can you wait a moment?”

Just by looking at her being able to open a dimensional gate without any warning signs, it was clear that she was a woman of considerable skill.

She turned her head. Burning red hair, burning red eyes, and a party dress that was the same color as her hair.

As far as I know, there is only one person in the entire empire with hair and eye color like that who would wear a dress coat like that.

“What’s going on, Lord Jeoktap?”

“Her Highness the Crown Princess has something to tell the Magic Association. If there’s a man who comes here with a lifeless face and tries to avoid stepping on the red carpet that’s specially set up in the Red Tower, then I know him, so go talk to him. At first, I didn’t know what he was talking about, but he really did show up.”

“… … .”

“It looks like you’re using disguise magic as well. Do you plan on breaking the spell?”

The red tower master approached with a smile. Kang Yu-na froze when she saw the woman with an unusual amount of mana. Kang Ra-hye, on the other hand, looked indifferent.

“Can you treat someone you know so rudely? How are you going to deal with the consequences?”

“Just because of this doesn’t mean my magic lessons will be delayed by ten years. I just did what Her Highness the Crown Princess told me to do.”

Judging from the way he said those words, he must have been convinced of my identity from the beginning. He sighed and released the disguise magic. As the small fog spread, my original appearance was revealed.

“As expected, it was Mira.”

The red-crowned crane smiled faintly.

“Why is my speech so short?”

“It’s a nice day. Can’t you let this go?”

Looking closely, her cheeks were slightly red, as if she had already had a few drinks.

“And soon, you won’t even remember me speaking informally to you. You’ll be treated worse.”

“What’s worse? What is that—”

Before I could finish speaking, the Red Tower Master raised his arms to the sky. With a bang, the blue sky was embroidered with red flames that looked just like the color of the Red Tower Master’s eyes.

Immediately after, dimensional gates opened from all directions and people poured in.

“Mira! I’ve been waiting for you!”

Priscilla was the first to jump into my arms, and then a series of familiar faces appeared, all wearing rather old-fashioned party dresses.

In particular, Erestica’s destructive power was impressive. Her exposure was one level higher than others’, and her physique was different, so it was impossible not to look at her.

Kang Yu-na’s face froze in shock as she saw the guild leaders of the Eternal Guild rushing towards her.

“Hey, Kang Yoo-seong. You… … You, what are you… … What, what are you… … No, what is it? Why are the guild leaders here… … ?”

“You’ll know when you see.”

But things didn’t go as I said. The dimensional gate opened a step too late, and a completely unexpected person appeared.

“I came here because I heard there would be a surprise.”

Laura’s father.

“Could it be that you were trying to show me something like this?”

In other words, he was the emperor of the empire.

Those eyes scanned my surroundings carefully. It seemed as if they had sensed the current situation. You probably already knew that, but there was a world of difference between hearing a report and seeing it with your own eyes.

“Emperor, the Emperor’s Retirement—”

“Ah, okay, okay. Just call me Emperor. I even used disguise magic at the banquet hall, so there’s no point in being so polite. Just think of me as a neighborhood uncle who came to have fun and drink.”

If he were really a neighborhood uncle, he wouldn’t have even set foot here. While I was smiling bitterly, the emperor, who had thrown all manner of etiquette aside, looked at Laura.

“Now, I want to hear about that amazing thing, my daughter. You haven’t forgotten the bet, have you?”

“Of course I haven’t forgotten. How could I forget when I’ve already won? Look over there. There’s something that will surprise your father.”

Laura pointed to the seat next to Kang Yu-na. It was the seat where Kang Ra-hye, who had changed her appearance with disguise magic, was. Kang Ra-hye, who noticed the situation, smiled strangely and opened her mouth.

“I guess you’re talking about me.”

The tone of speech had returned to that of a blacksmith. His eyebrows quirked slightly, as if he felt a strange familiarity in the tone of speech that openly disparaged the emperor of the empire.

The disguise spell on her body dispersed like fog, revealing long brown hair that reached down to her waist and her only remaining sky blue eye.

“It’s been a long time, Emperor.”

A woman who returned from being a Class A Hunter, Kang Ra-hye, to being a swordsman who was once the hope of all mankind, greeted me with a light smile.

“… … Black.”

The Emperor let out a sigh. His pupils, filled with surprise, briefly turned to his missing right arm, then quickly returned to their original position.

“The entire empire searched so desperately for you, yet you showed up to celebrate Mira Crate’s birthday?”

“That’s right. I owe this child a favor that I can never repay, even if it takes me a lifetime.”

“Heh heh… … .”

The emperor turned his gaze to me with a hollow smile that seemed to come from the heart.

“I made a bet with my daughter that there would be a surprise. I just lost that one.”

“… … Then what happens?”

“What do you think?”

A hand that held the weight of the entire empire placed its hand on my shoulder. A voice that had become smaller whispered so that only I could hear it.

“Perhaps, for the first time in the history of the Empire, polygamy will be permitted to take place between people other than the Emperor.”