Chapter 302: Aftermath: The 『Stellaria』 Engine

To Gordius’s eyes, the mad mage professor and the Empire’s Second Prince seemed rather close. The professor had used the Prince as a shield, and yet his head was still firmly attached to his neck.

Rumors had circulated before that the mad professor was an aide to the Second Prince, but Gordius hadn’t imagined they’d be this intimate.

The mad mage, hidden behind the Prince-shield, spoke casually.

“I trust in the breadth of His Highness’s heart. Surely he wouldn’t be angered by a bit of hiding behind him.”

“I wonder why, but I don’t feel even the slightest urge to reward that faith. I clearly said I wanted a private talk, so is it because you brought a student wielding a club with you?”

“It’s for the benefit of us all. I’m not so tactless as that, am I?”

“I think you are, in a different sense… I do admire your confidence. Take a seat over there as well.”

Irid waved his hand dismissively.

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The mad mage sighed in relief and sat down on the sofa. Gordius, still holding his club, sized up the situation before sitting down as well. He reverse-summoned the club.

He didn’t have the gall to bear arms before the Prince. It was the mad mage, with his twisted mind, who used people as shields.

But he wouldn’t give up on revenge. Gordius glared at Mima, vowing inwardly. Just you wait, mad professor, I’ll be sure to give that head of yours a lump.

“Mad mage, explain.”

“Ah, yes. It’s about the revival and appearance of the tentatively identified 『Great Beast』. Please, take a look at this data.”

*Pshhh*.

With a flick of Mima’s fingers, a realistic hologram instantly appeared above the otherwise empty table. It was a familiar form to Gordius.

It was a miniature projection of a South Korean cityscape.

Soon after, a crack appeared in the middle of the city, and a video played showing the 『Great Beast』 emerging. Multiple message windows appeared on top of it, explaining the monster’s characteristics.

“Powerful brainwashing ability, not restricted by form, cunning, hostile to humanity. A monster we predict will soon appear in this world as well, in an even more powerful form than the one in this video.”

“…If my eyes are correct, the proportions in this video seem to be precisely measured. If a human is this size, then this monster must be roughly—”

“100 meters. But there’s no telling how it’ll actually appear. It could morph bigger, or smaller, than that. We’re just guessing it’ll have characteristics similar to the video footage. Just watch.”

The hologram’s time speeds up, playing rapidly. A colossal robot appears and battles the 『Great Beast』. The beast enters phase two, transforming into a sleek form covered in jet-black dragon scales…

Irid’s face hardened instantly as he took in the form. He seemed to have a hunch about it.

“……..”

“Oh? You know it?”

“That’s what I should be asking. You seem to… understand this more deeply than I thought. Or, are you the one…”

“Aha… So, that’s why you’re here today. I had a feeling there was something going on with the Imperial Family. Let’s keep watching for now. The proposal starts now.”

*beep*

The hologram zoomed in on the colossal robot, showcasing the output of each part converted into magic power, and the efficiency of the magic power engine at its core.

“The colossal robot… It’s called the 『Meteor』. How does it look? Wouldn’t having one of these let you sleep soundly at night?”

“Is it for countering them?”

“Yes. Actually, it’s been like that since pretty much the beginning.”

“Good. Then you must be the developer. Tell me your name.”

The conversation, lacking subjects and skipping over crucial information… like a zen koan, ended there. Second Prince Irid’s gaze fell on Gordius.

Gordius’s mind was racing.

It felt like the puzzle pieces were falling into place. Why did the mad professor send him to this other world? How did he know the 『Great Beast』 would appear? Why did the Second Prince take him on as a close confidant?

There was only one answer.

In Gordius’s mind, they were members of a secret society, like 『Stellaria』, working in the shadows to stop the 『Great Beast』 from appearing one day.

The reason the mad professor was so enthusiastic about teaching the students how to counter illusion magic was to help them resist the 『Great Beast’s』 brainwashing waves.

The reason the mad professor sent him to another world was to find countermeasures against the 『Great Beast』.

And it was to get accepted into the inner circle of a secret society that I even interrupted a kiss to be here…!

Gordius’s anger gauge dropped by about 50%. Dr. Woo Chae-rin would understand, since it was an urgent meeting to save the world.

Then, rather than stopping at mere speculation, let’s confirm things for sure.

“I am Gordius, the top disciple of the Golden Magic Tower Lord, Your Highness. I am honored to meet the noblest bloodline of the Empire. I have but one question. Does the ‘Great Beast’ appear in *this* world too?”

After finishing his introduction, Gordius asked clearly to avoid any misunderstandings or misinterpretations. And the answer that came back was more chilling than he expected.

“…Yes, if it were to reveal itself. It will appear with a power comparable to that of a goddess.”

“Haa…”

The ‘Great Beast’ that holds divine power.

The crazy mage beside him chimed in.

“We’ll have to build a mech that can even punch gods in the face. How about it, Gordius, are you prepared to save the world?”

“Even if I’m not prepared, it’s my duty to bet my soul. If the ‘Great Beast’ tries to invade my home, even my world, I’ll bet all my assets to defeat it.”

Gordius spoke resolutely. He also had a cute little ulterior motive of wanting to build the best giant robot with the support of the royal family and the help of the mages, but his noble cause was genuine.

The crazy mage smiled contentedly and joked.

“How is he, Your Highness? I raised him well, didn’t I?”

“You didn’t raise him, destiny did. Then, Gordius, get on the carriage waiting outside. We’re going to the capital.”

“Wait a minute. You’re not taking me completely, are you? I have to do the ‘Academy Team Tournament’. If he leaves, my personal fun…”

“We have to lay the framework, don’t we? We’ll use him briefly and return him, so don’t worry.”

And so, Gordius’s trip to the capital was decided.

–

Interlude. A simple conversation ensues. They shared information.

“’It’ is sealed inside me, Your Highness. Would you believe me?”

“I believe you. His Majesty said it was hide-and-seek, but he was wrong. You are not ‘it’.”

“You’re not saying you believe me just to stab me in the back, right? I’ll cry if you do. The thing is, there isn’t any concrete evidence to prove it, like, *bam*. I guess…”

“Your purity was proven when you threw yourself into the holy sword to save the people of the Holy City. We shall have deeper conversations later. I will prepare safeguards.”

And, they promised for later.

–

Inside the carriage heading to the imperial capital, Crown Hall.

Second Prince Irid thoroughly sifted through the inner workings of a man named Gordius. Even if he couldn’t dissect the man down to his very core like a crazed mage, a little know-how and finesse would suffice.

“That’s how… I was able to defeat the ‘Great Beast’.”

“I’ve heard you well. That must have been a trying journey. I’ve had similar experiences.”

“Ah, so Your Highness has also been to another world…”

“I’ve had a look at the future empire. Not that I saved the world or anything.”

It wasn’t hard to get the stories flowing.

Sudden appearance of monsters, a world crumbling, humans struggling within it. And… Gordius, who grew through those trials.

His ability to invent the ‘Magic Engine’ was impressive enough, but having saved a world once wasn’t something you could just wish for and achieve. Irid smiled contentedly.

A new worker was always welcome.

There were, as Irid understood, eight individuals who’d ‘definitely’ explored other worlds after coming into contact with the crazed mage. Himself, First Princess Ilayne, the hero Bennett’s party, Envers Redburn, the Captain of the Capital Knights, and Gordius in front of him.

Considering the rumors about ‘Blue Rose’, she seemed to be an explorer as well, but it wasn’t certain.

Just looking at the confirmed list, he had to admit, the Emperor had selected a rather colorful group of individuals.

The interview with Mima had clarified the ambiguous or scattered pieces. ‘It’ was sealed within his body, black mages were trying to draw out the power of ‘it’, and the crazed mage had been thwarting their plans time and time again.

It’s obvious now, but… he’s something else. With his pure skill and scheming, he shifted what could have been a total descent into ruin, and dragged everything here.

Yeah, even the bizarre stunts at the academy. The incidents that dealt such a blow to Irid’s very core, all of it was a plan to oppose ‘that.’

If that’s the case, I can forgive the grudges accumulated over time.

In a somewhat relaxed atmosphere, Gordius cautiously requested,

“I apologize, but if it’s possible, could we return quickly?”

“Hmm? You too, are you looking forward to the ‘Academy Team Tournament’ like some mad mage?”

“No, there’s someone I left behind, and an unsealed contract…”

That expression.

That expression.

Irid instantly understood Gordius’s expression. It was a perfect mirror of his own when he woke up after failing his kiss with Centra.

Just in case, he asked,

“Did you happen to wake up right before the kiss?”

“… … … … !!”

Gordius was stunned, wondering if the Second Prince’s brilliance had reached the point of mind reading. But then, after calmly observing Irid’s expression, Gordius also understood. That expression. *That* expression!

It was a spitting image of his own.

“Could it be that Your Highness also…”

“Woke up right before.”

“… … … ….”

“… … … ….”

Their internal intimacy rose sharply.

Gordius, his face troubled, fidgeted with his sleeve before speaking, giving voice to some sinister conspiracy theory that had flashed through his mind.

“…Actually, that crazy professor did it on purpose.”

“On purpose?”

“Yeah, on purpose. He could have given us more time, but he pulls it right before the deadline. And looking at it, the difference in time inside and out is pretty significant, so then–“

Irid raised a hand, cutting Gordius off.

“Even if he’s a bit eccentric, I don’t want to think of him as *that* much of a piece of trash. I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that. What do you think that crazy mage is, anyway?”

“It was a slip of the tongue.”

“Right, he’s someone who works hard for the world, isn’t he? He wouldn’t possibly… do something like that, would he.”

Wouldn’t he, but.

If. Just if, even by some chance, if he actually had a bad habit of forcing a return right before a kiss.

In that moment, they could communicate with a look, without saying a word.

Then, they’d beat the hell out of him.

They resolved it in silence. If the suspicion turned out to be true, the second prince and the mage would join forces to physically reform the deranged professor…

–

The imperial carriage came to a stop in front of a large building inside the Crownhall Inner Circle. Heavily armed knights were already lined up around the carriage, standing at attention.

The second prince, Irid, introduced them to Gordius.

“This is the Capital Knights Third Team.”

“Greetings, Your Highness! And good day to you, young man! I am Ronald, the captain of the Capital Knights Third Team–!!”

“…H-hello. You have a loud voice. But why…the Capital Knights?”

“There are two reasons.”

Irid held up two fingers.

“One, they’re the only group actively using power armor. The potential of that ‘Mana Engine’ is endless, but I see technically clumsy parts. There will be room for improvement with their power armor.”

“Indeed… you are wise.”

“And second, we have a walking mana reactor here to cut down research costs. This way.”

“……..?”

Gordius turned his head to where Irid pointed, and there stood a kid. A girl who looked like a middle schooler.

Gordius, who saw the pilot Kim Yunseo superimposed on her image, pulled a candy from his pocket and offered it.

“Hi, who are you?”

“I’m Kim Lulu! Captain of the Capital Knights! I like that you’re so familiar right off the bat!”

“……Huh?”

“You’re the one who can make power armor stronger, right? I can lend you as much mana as you need. But, make me one more suit, please? There’s someone I want to give it to!”

Captain of the Capital Knights?

The monster said to have reached the heights of transcendence, and rumored to have a physique over 2 meters? She just looks like a cheerful girl.

Gordius, flustered, looked at Irid, and the Crown Prince quietly nodded. He naturally lowered his waist.

“I didn’t recognize you…”

“Ah, it’s okay, it’s okay. You don’t have to be so nervous! Ronald, shall we take him inside? I’m too curious.”

“Hmm, I suppose! Boy, although the Crown Prince recommended you! We haven’t decided on cooperation yet! We’ll see the power of the engine you made and judge for ourselves!!”

“I’m sure you’ll like it. I’ll prepare a demonstration.”

……..

Kwarurung, Kwarurururung──!!

“Eheheheheheheh–!! I’m a lightning mage now–!!”

Kim Lulu, piloting a powered suit equipped with a 『Mana Engine』, was unleashing a terrifying barrage of lightning on the heavens, striking a Squirrel Thunder pose.

Converting that vast mana into pure power had turned her into a walking lightning storm.

“With performance like that, we should be collaborating.” Ronald stroked his mustache, stiff with static, and asked Gordius. You had to ask about these things, for the romance of it all.

“What’s the name of the engine, boy?”

Gordius pondered for a moment, then spoke in a firm voice.

“『Stellaria』– There is no other name.”

A name was etched into the world.

–

Woo Chae-rin thought.

Definitely, like… it was right before the kiss. She’d clearly felt Gordius’s breath coming closer. She’d waited for a long time, but there was no sensation, nothing touching her.

What is this. Why isn’t there anything. Do I need to wait longer? Did we already do it, actually? Can I open my eyes…?

Amidst that inner turmoil.

Sluuurp.

Woo Chae-rin slowly opened her eyes.

Pang-!

And she was met with a barrage of mini-fireworks.

“Welcome to the awakening of your self-awareness~! I heard you’re from the same Korean crew? We’ve been waiting for ages, seriously.”

“Are you feeling dizzy? Try controlling your consciousness with slow breaths. One, two. One, two.”

“Here, we’ve also prepared a commemorative cake! The guy and the girl who came with you aren’t awake yet though…”

“Heh heh heh. It pleases me to see our family growing. It may be confusing, but you’ll soon adapt. Would you like some tea?”

What is this.

Seriously, what is this…?