A Gut-Wrenching Performance (5)

The stream has started.

“Jester… is that a name?”

Well… that’s not the response I expected. For the first time, the stream started message didn’t have any garbled characters. And at the same time, for the first question I was asked, it was surprisingly the first time anyone had questioned my name. Well, it was more of a title or an alias, but in this world…

“Yes, yes it is,” I responded with a flip to put my hat back on my head.

“And, you’re a mage…? In those clothes?”

What? Did they all just forget how I teleported in front of the usurper king or something? “Does this suffice?” I sighed, snapping my fingers to make a ball of water hover just above my palm. It was quite a bit larger than usual so that everyone could see.

“He really did cast a spell.”

“But with no circle?”

“No chant either.”

“How about mana?”

“I don’t sense any movement.”

The ‘important’ guests whispered back and forth amongst themselves, looking back with doubtful eyes. Well, except for Eleanor. While I couldn’t read their minds, they clearly didn’t believe I was using magic, which was both true and false at the same time.

So I decided to ask. “Oh? Do you not believe what you’re seeing? Why not? Do you truly need a circle and chant to cast a spell?” They all murmured amongst themselves, none of them opting to engage with my rhetoric, until one older gentleman on the usurper king’s side raised his hand politely.

“Yes, you sir.” I teleported over, but he didn’t so much as flinch. In fact, he seemed to exude the same grave and authority Eleanor did. Is he also a marchioness?

“Chants define the flow of mana to create circles. Circles then in turn act as templates to manifest phenomena into the world. I am not aware of any human who can break from this cycle. However, it may be possible for an elf.”

“Oh? Are you saying I’m an elf then?” I believe that’s a bad thing.

“One of those demis? Ha! Definitely not. Your spells are nothing like an elf’s. Though, it is not like any human’s either.”

“Hmm, is that so?” With a tilt of my head, I pretended not to know anything. “I guess I’m just special.”

“Ha ha! Special is one way to describe it,” he chuckled, though his tone was clearly serious. “However, the lack of mana flow is another thing. Would you mind explaining that?”

“I mean, sure, but can’t assassins hide their mana?”

The room became awkwardly silent. As I took a quick look around, I could see the realization etched onto their faces, thinking, “Oh yeah, they can do that,” or whatever the formal euphemism was.

“Ahem,” the older gentleman coughed, “I can see why His Majesty chose you for our entertainment then. Please continue with your debut.” With those words, everyone focused their gazes onto me. He’s definitely a marchioness.

“Thank you very much,” I gave a slight bow, teleporting to the center of the hall. “Now then, as… His Majesty… said, you are free to request anything you would like to see tonight. For example, this banquet is rather drab, wouldn’t you say? I prefer something a bit more floral.”

Snap! With a snap of my fingers, the floor began to shift. Little buds began to sprout, white from the marble tiles and red from the carpet. They quickly grew, turning into a massive feel of roses. Normally, it would have more of a wedding vibe, but with the current setting, it felt more ornamental, further beautifying the splendor of the banquet hall.

“Oho.”

“How intriguing.”

“It’s quite relaxing.”

“I can smell and feel their presence, yet I cannot touch them.”

Around half of the audience was entertained by my flower field. Some of them enjoyed the general mood, while others attempted to inspect the roses. Meanwhile, the other half–

“Excuse me, these are an illusion, correct?” one of the women asked on Eleanor’s side. Compared to her though, her movements and manners were less poised.

I teleported in front of her, causing a quick yelp. “Yes, that’s right.”

“Is there a reason you chose not to make them real?”

“Well, I would prefer to not fall to my death. After all, I have no idea how this thing works,” I answered, tapping my feet against the elevator floor.

“Ah. Yes, quite so,” she responded in a fluster, wondering why she hadn’t realized it herself.

“You–”

“I think this is a lackluster showing,” a raised voice shouted across the room. Huh? Wait. Isn’t he that guy who tried to trip me outside? What’s he trying to do now?

“Why do you think that?” I said, teleporting right in front of his face. He nearly fell back in his chair, stabilizing himself at the last moment.

“U-um. W-what you are doing is nothing special. Anyone can do such paltry tricks.”

‘Paltry tricks’? What in the world are you on about? Even I, with my wishy-washy attitude, knew that my technique was rather advanced. And I wasn’t the only one. Most of the older individuals openly disagreed without needing to voice their opinion. However, the younger crowd…

“I agree with Viscount Triboulet.”

“I second.”

“I third.”

“I concur.”

They seemed to agree with the kid. Sure, I could contribute his comment to a desire for revenge, but the others agreed with him for some reason. I didn’t really understand why.

“So, what would you like to see then?” I asked, hoping for clarification.

“Huh? Obviously your strongest spell! What else would it be? See, I can use advanced fire magic.” Ah, right. These kids are the perfect age to attend college. Of course most of them will prefer something more flashy and destructive. But wait a moment…

“Advanced fire magic?”

“Do you not know what that is? And you call yourself a mage?? Hah! Watch this.” The kid began to chant in that untranslatable language, weaving a red magic circle nearly two feet in diameter.

Actually, haven’t I seen this spell before?

“Haah!!!!! There! See this, Jester?!” The man yelled, wielding a rather large ball of fire. Though, that’s all it was. I could tell it didn’t have much power, not to mention how unstable it was. But this is what you call an advanced spell? They’re even worse than five-year-old spellcasters in my world.

“You mean something like this?” In an instant, a fireball grew out of my hand, almost tall enough to touch the chandelier hanging from the ceiling. While it was only an illusion, the radiating heat felt hyper-realistic. I’m actually starting to feel slightly delirious. Wait–

“W-well, just because it’s big, doesn’t mean it’s powerful! See? Take this!”

“Hold–”

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMM!!!