Ch. 67 - The Future of Magic

Alabarta froze, seemingly unable to comprehend my words, and from behind, I could hear a lot of coughing, but I chose to ignore them for now.

A few seconds later, Diageo blinked and spoke. "W-well, Aoi-dono, even though you're a first-class great magician, it seems you're not familiar with the political affairs of each country and the relationships between them. Although our country is one of the Great Nations, the balance of power with other countries is quite unstable. The leakage of unique magic, which could be considered secret arts, could easily disrupt that balance."

He basically implied that he couldn't grant my request. I didn't agree with him, so I took a short breath and looked up. "I think that idea is hindering the development of magic, but I understand your concerns and the potential issues. Naturally, we can't put your country at a disadvantage by disclosing your unique magic while the others maintain secrecy."

Diageo nodded deeply in agreement.

But before he could respond, I continued. "However, that won't happen."

At these words, not only Diageo but also Alabarta tilted their heads in confusion.

"And why is that?" Diageo asked.

I smiled reassuringly and answered, "Because I will make all countries disclose their magic. The only difference will be whether it happens sooner or later."

The air in the hall seemed to freeze, and silence fell over the room.

In the end, Diageo did not permit the public disclosure of magic. But I was granted permission to enter the Magic Research Institute of the Maple Leaf Holy Empire in exchange for teaching them my magic. I was told repeatedly that this was a special privilege, as even ministers from other countries typically couldn't gain such access.

Though it was hard to accept, the audience with Diageo concluded since we had reached an agreement for the time being.

I was guided into what appeared to be another VIP room. I lamented aloud, "It seems I must memorize all the magic from each country and study it myself."

Strass and Eliza approached me, looking exhausted.

"Please, think first before you speak."

"Aoi-san?! I was about to faint! Seriously!"

Hearing their complaints, I nodded. "I know. Please don't worry. I made sure to choose my words carefully to avoid offending the other party. However, I was too cautious, and as a result, I couldn't get them to compromise on the crucial points. Next time, I'll try harder to gain their approval."

At this declaration, both of them looked up at the sky and held their heads, looking utterly dejected.

I wondered if we should try to disclose magic as soon as possible.

While I was lost in thought, Shenley raised her hand modestly with a wry smile and asked, "Um, what should we do now?"

Cote crossed his arms and muttered with a troubled expression, "That's right. Since our visit was so sudden, the magic academy and research institute both need time to prepare and notify their staff."

Ayle suddenly raised both hands and shouted enthusiastically, "Let's go sightseeing!"

Everyone turned to look at Ayle.

"Earlier, we got permission to tour the imperial castle, but I think we can do that another time! We might only have today to freely explore the city!"

"Why is that? I think we can visit the city at any time," Cote asked, puzzled.

Ayle looked at me and replied, "Because we might be famous by tomorrow or the day after, right?"

For some reason, everyone nodded deeply at Ayle's strange statement.

"… That's true."

"Y-you're sharp."

"You've always had good intuition."

Voices of agreement rang out, and Liz and Bell praised Ayle with "As expected!"

Although it didn’t feel quite right, since that was what everyone wanted, there was no choice but to agree.

"Alright then, let's go sightseeing around the city. Should we ask Shenley-san to guide us?" I suggested.

Shenley hurriedly shook her head. "N-no, I'm not very familiar with the Holy City, and I'm worried that something might happen, so we should ask someone from the castle to guide us."

Strass and the others immediately agreed.

"That's a good idea."

"That's reasonable."

"It’s best to ask Alabarta-sama…"

"It will be bad if something happens!"

As everyone discussed their concerns about the city's security situation, the door unexpectedly opened from the outside.

Standing there was Crown Windsor, a court magician of the Maple Leaf Holy Empire.

"I heard the conversation. I'll guide you myself." Crown graciously offered to be our guide.

I expressed my gratitude sincerely. "Thank you. We appreciate your help."

I turned back to the group. For some reason, everyone had oddly awkward expressions on their faces.

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