25-159

EP.159 [The Masked Mage Anna Parisienne?] 

"I'm so nervous about meeting the mage... People say she's really strict... What if I get in trouble, Captain?" 

Two days later, in the meeting room, Marie was visibly tense. The Imperial Knights' drake special quest consulting mage had finally arrived at the arena. 

Marie had mostly looked forward to this Imperial Knights trip with excitement. But suddenly, a meeting with a mage had been added. Since mages have a notorious reputation among mercenaries and adventurers, Marie's confidence shrank. 

"It's no joke. When I did some black-market work, I met mages sometimes. They'd check if goods were genuine. Their eyes are really different. It's like they're looking down on you-even more than nobles. And they're cold. It's a different kind of coldness from killer swordsmen." 

"Haaah~ I can't believe it..." 

When Marie confessed her nerves to Eugene, Thomas chimed in, making her even more anxious. 

The mages Thomas met were secular, not academy mages. But whether academy or secular, mages are known for strong egos and eccentricity. 

They also tend to be very skeptical of humanity, even though they're human themselves. They're elitist types. As Thomas explained these traits, Marie grew even more scared. 

"Don't worry so much. Not all mages are like that. Some are perfectly normal," Eugene Schneider, who has a mage for a sister, interjected. 

But this was only a surface-level reassurance. Eugene himself felt uneasy, just like Marie and Thomas. 

‘Still, I keep thinking this mage is going to be one of those notoriously difficult ones.’ 

Even after the mage arrived, the air of mystery remained. The Imperial Knights accepted this without question, which made Eugene wonder just how important this mage was. 

The mage had actually arrived at dawn the previous day. Coming at such an odd hour was strange, and the whole arrival felt like a secret operation. Even after arriving, nothing was revealed-not even the mage's name. The reason? Another superstition. No wonder Eugene was full of distrust and unease. 

"You'd better get used to it. Those people are obsessed with superstitions and such. That's why they feel more like cultists than scholars. They really cling to those quirks. Sluuurp...!" 

The only one unfazed was, of course, the elf Priscilla. She sipped her fruit juice with a blank look. 

In some ways, elves and mages have a similar vibe. Their personalities are somewhat alike, and historically, the mage class was born when humans learned and developed elven secrets. 

"You've all been waiting, right? Please understand. The mage was supposed to arrive in a few days, but she moved up her schedule." 

At that moment, Deputy Commander Farnese of the drake special quest team entered the meeting room to apologize. 

The mage had arrived two days early and planned to stay for four days. For mages, personal time and research are paramount, and they plan and stick to their schedules strictly. Usually, collaborators go to the mage, not the other way around, and when mages do visit, they rarely stay more than a day. So this mage's early arrival and plan to stay four days was highly unusual. 

"So we had to quickly prepare accommodations and facilities. It's rare for a mage to visit, so we couldn't miss this opportunity." 

Despite the mage's standoffishness, the Imperial Knights found her presence invaluable for the quest and did everything she asked. 

"Wow, what's this? That's a rare mage. She's going to stay and work with us for four days?" 

Priscilla smirked, showing how unusual this situation was. 

"Is it really that rare, Priscilla?" 

"When you form a party, this almost never happens except for the main quest. What is that mage so obsessed with? Is she really into drake research?" 

Eugene, whose only experience with mages was his sister Elizabeth, didn't fully grasp the situation, so he asked Priscilla, who explained further. 

‘Hmm... what a peculiar person...’ 

A mysterious, self-willed, but apparently passionate mage-Eugene was now more curious than worried. 

"Alright, bring in the mage, Farnese." 

Soon after, Commander Victoria entered and explained the situation again before starting the meeting. Deputy Commander Farnese then announced the mage's arrival. 

The meeting room door opened again. 

Sssrrrrrk...! 

Step, step, step, step, 

The consulting mage entered, her robe making a soft swishing sound. 

‘Oh...!!!’ 

Eugene's eyes widened. 

‘A mask? And that hairstyle-it's stylish. Is she really a mage?’ 

She wore mage robes, but her overall style was quite fashionable. 

"Wow~ The mage is so pretty, Thomas~" 

"Yeah... Not what I expected at all." 

She wasn't just stylish-she was dazzlingly beautiful. Even Marie, who had been nervous, was so struck by her beauty that she forgot her anxiety and reacted enthusiastically. 

Smiling gently, the mage greeted the Red Fox delegation. 

"Nice to meet you all. I am Anna Parisienne, a mage from Cleopatra Imperial Academy." 

She introduced herself with a warmth that defied the usual mage stereotype. 

"Ni-nice to meet you, Mage! I'm Marie!" 

"Nice to meet you, Mage. I'm Thomas!" 

Her name was Anna Parisienne. Her appearance shattered all their preconceptions, and Marie and Thomas, overwhelmed by her warmth, bowed deeply in greeting. 

"Yes, nice to meet you all, hohoho...!" 

Anna Parisienne covered her mouth and smiled shyly. 

"..." 

Victoria, standing beside Anna, watched her in silence. 

The reason: 

‘What on earth are you doing, Elizabeth de Sel Oblaing?’ 

Anna Parisienne's true identity was none other than Elizabeth de Sel Oblaing. 

"What kind of look should I go with? I want my reunion with my brother to be dramatic and memorable," thought Elizabeth, pacing her room anxiously. 

She now believed that she and Eugene were bound by an incredible fate. She'd always thought so, but now it felt even more intense. Elizabeth was practically bursting with dopamine, desperate to meet her brother in a fitting outfit for their fateful reunion. 

"Hmm?" 

After pacing for a while, Elizabeth's gaze landed on a small novel on her desk. 

"Hmm... yes..." 

Sss... 

What caught her eye was a small book. With a gleam in her eye, Elizabeth approached the desk and picked it up. 

"Soul Mage. In this novel, the heroine mage and the male lead have a secret reunion episode." 

Flip! Flip! 

The book was called Soul Mage, a romance novel starring a genius mage heroine. There aren't many romance novels about mages, so Elizabeth cherished this one. She quickly flipped through the pages, searching for the scene in her mind. 

"Yes! This is it! Anna Parisienne, the heroine, hides her identity and sneaks into the place where her beloved is. The thrill of almost being discovered was so beautiful!" 

That's right. Anna Parisienne is the name of the heroine in Soul Mage. She disguises herself with a mask and illusion magic to infiltrate the enemy's castle, where the male lead works as an unknown mercenary. They play a game of cat and mouse with their true identities until they fall for each other. 

For Victoria, this episode perfectly matched her and Eugene Schneider's current situation. 

‘It was so hard to keep the line... I wanted to show off my beauty and familiarity without being discovered... fufufufu...!’ 

So Victoria copied the name Anna Parisienne, as well as the mask and hairstyle from the novel's illustrations. She even used illusion magic-a spell that prevents anyone who doesn't know her true identity from recognizing her real face. The Soul Mage novel described this magic, and as an expert mage, Elizabeth made it a reality.