Helen Sylvester watched as her surroundings suddenly changed with the mage's gesture.
"Hmph, typical illusion magic."
She had learned that the quality of illusion magic depends on how closely the illusion resembles reality.
The more lifelike the illusion, the higher the level of the magic.
The space, which had been a shabby shop moments ago, transformed into the Imperial Academy she attended.
She stood in the central corridor of the Imperial Academy, leading to the lecture halls.
The floor was made of marble, and the corridor was adorned with the academy's symbol, a golden quill.
Helen ran her hand over the symbol.
The cold touch of gold felt vivid.
"Ho?"
It deceived not only her sight but also her sense of smell and touch, making it seem like quite advanced illusion magic.
But that was all.
"Not bad for an illusion mage tucked away in a corner."
She'd heard that the illusion mage, Max, was quite a talented mage.
If he hadn't gone down the misguided path of illusion magic, she might have recommended him to serve her family.
Creating such a realistic illusion must be why that woman came here to train.
She probably simulated various battles and practiced fighting through this illusion.
Her abnormal win rate must stem from this.
But that alone wouldn't help her find a weakness.
"If she was just training, she wouldn't have run from me."
There's definitely something she's hiding from me.
I don't know what it is.
This man only showed me an illusion of the academy.
"Hey, illusion mage. This isn't enough. I want something solid to catch Yuris's weakness. At least give me a clue!"
But there was no response.
"Hey, illusion mage!"
What did this damned illusion mage do to me?
Helen furrowed her brow and scanned her surroundings.
She had learned at the Imperial Academy that illusion magic isn't perfectly real, so if you recognize it, you can always break free.
"That's why illusion magic is considered the lowest form of magic. No matter how powerful the mage, it has no combat strength and can be easily dispelled. So, students, if you're caught in illusion magic, calmly observe your surroundings."
The professor had cast illusion magic on the students, and half of them broke free.
Helen escaped the professor's illusion in just three minutes.
No matter how talented this mage was, he couldn't be better than that.
"Since it's illusion magic, there must be a gap to break it."
She knew illusion magic couldn't harm her.
So she'd take her time to find a way out.
"Free wind and disciplined earth, come forth and fulfill the contract."
Helen summoned her spirits.
"For scouting the surroundings, wind or earth spirits would be best, right?"
But the spirits didn't respond.
"…What?"
Even when she recited the contracted incantation again.
…
The spirits didn't appear.
"This can't be right."
Even in the professor's illusion, the spirits answered her call.
So why?
"Is this man's illusion stronger than the professor's?"
Even if he wasn't an illusion mage, the professor was a master-level mage.
A mage with that level of understanding could wield other schools of magic proficiently.
Better than such a professor?
An illusion that blocks abilities was unheard of.
"Damn it, could he be in league with Yuris…"
I trusted him too easily.
Damn it.
I overlooked the possibility that he might already be working with Yuris.
No wonder things were going too smoothly.
How dare they mess with a Sylvester.
"Once I escape this illusion, I'll throw him in jail for insulting a noble."
Rotting in prison would teach him whose side to take.
That's when it happened.
"Huh? Isn't that Lady Sylvester?"
A group of students approached her.
Students she didn't even know existed.
They must be puppets created by the illusion.
Illusion magic takes shape based on the user's and caster's memories.
Ignoring the rough-looking students—no, delinquents—she searched for gaps in the illusion.
But these illusion puppets didn't seem inclined to let her go easily.
"Get lost. Mere illusion puppets."
"What's this girl saying?"
"Calling us illusions?"
"Haha, has she finally lost it? Well, I would too."
"Losing all that vaunted spirit affinity, of course she would."
They were muttering among themselves.
Not worth engaging.
They're not even real.
Probably guardians of the illusion meant to stop her from finding the gap.
"Get out of my way. I don't have time for you."
As she tried to pass them, a delinquent-looking guy grabbed her wrist.
"Hey, don't ignore us. We're talking to you."
This bastard dares?
A mere illusion dares touch Helen Sylvester's hand?
"You bastards! Do you know who I am?"
Normally, she'd chase off such lowlifes with spirit magic, but without the spirits fulfilling her contract, she couldn't use it.
"Of course we know. The dropout abandoned by the Sylvesters."
"What?"
"You lost all your spirit affinity, can't even use spirit magic, and failed to pass the academy, yet you're still so full of pride. Didn't you hear?"
"What are you…"
"The Sylvesters abandoned you. Said you're a waste of money and a disgrace to the family."
The delinquent spouted nonsense.
Her family would never abandon her.
She was the precious daughter of the Sylvester duke.
She tried to shake off the delinquent's grip by summoning a spirit.
"Fulfill the contract now!"
But, as expected, no spirit appeared.
All she got was,
"Hahaha!"
"Hehehe!"
"So damn funny. Still using spirit language like she hasn't snapped out of it."
The delinquents' mockery.
Helen's face flushed red from the unfamiliar mockery.
It was her first taste of humiliation.
She'd never experienced this before.
Who would dare mock a Sylvester heiress?
They'd lose their head the moment they tried.
"You, you…"
Perhaps because it was so unfamiliar.
Even knowing it was an illusion, the humiliation didn't fade.
"If my father hears of this…"
Slap!
"Kyaa!"
Her head whipped to the side with a stinging pain on her cheek.
"Still thinking you're a noblewoman when you're wearing rags like a beggar, huh?"
One side of her face burned.
Did I just get slapped?
It was incomprehensible.
How dare anyone slap a Sylvester heiress?
It stung.
She felt pain on her face, which shouldn't be possible in an illusion.
Didn't they say illusion magic can't harm the body?
It's supposed to be physically safe, isn't it?
Why am I feeling pain?
While her mind wrestled with questions about illusion magic,
With her head turned, she finally looked down at her clothes.
Helen was wearing the tattered clothes she so despised.
"Wha…?"
"Now do you get it? You're an orphan abandoned by your family."
"Your dad ditched you."
"This, this can't be…"
Shocked and trembling, the delinquents left her.
"Tch, boring."
"Let's go."
"If you've come to your senses, drop out and get lost. We don't want trash like you dirtying our academy."
The delinquents left.
Holding her cheek, Helen sank to the floor, muttering,
"This is an illusion."
A vicious illusion created by the mage at Yuris's command.
An illusion meant to torment her.
She didn't know how much the mage was paid by Yuris, but she'd never forget the insult of subjecting her to this.
"Mage, I'll make you pay dearly for this."
Biting her lower lip, Helen gritted her teeth and stood up.
Her left cheek, slapped by the man, still stung, but she couldn't stay like this.
She needed to find a gap in the illusion and confront the mage again.
She'd demand he spill Yuris's secrets if he didn't want to die by the Sylvester family's hand.
"This is just an illusion made by a man who's never been to the Imperial Academy. There must be plenty of things he couldn't replicate properly."
Helen carefully surveyed her surroundings as she moved.
She wanted to rip off the trashy, tattered uniform immediately, but she had no hobby of walking around naked, even in an illusion.
Once she realized it was an illusion, the uniform would return to normal anyway.
While Helen was wandering,
"H-Helen… Are you okay?"
A voice so weak it drained her energy reached her ears.
"Who are you?"
It was that loser.
The loner from a humble background who couldn't even wear a proper uniform.
He dared to call her by her name.
Not Sylvester, but Helen.
A sensation like bugs crawling over her body made her recoil in disgust.
Annoying. So annoying.
What's with everyone right now?
Ever since entering this mage's illusion, too many people had dared to challenge her.
Saying she was abandoned by the Sylvesters.
Saying she lost her spirit affinity.
It's all just an illusion.
How dare mere illusion puppets?
"Who do you think you are, calling me by my name?"
"H-Helen, what's wrong? We were good together."
"What?"
What's this loser talking about?
"Stop saying disgusting things."
"You really don't remember."
She turned her head to get away from the loser.
But as she tried to move, he grabbed her hand.
"Where are you going? We have a date."
"Get lost! You're annoying!"
She needed to return to reality, so why were these pests getting in her way?
"Still denying reality? Lost in past dreams again? Fine, I'll make it real for you."
"…What?"
Helen couldn't follow the loser's words.
He pulled out a small crystal orb.
It was a crystal orb for storing footage.
And in that orb,
"Hng, hnn… There, it feels good…"
It showed Helen, hands bound, her breasts being fondled.
"Wha, what is this…?"
"Now do you remember?"
A vile disgust enveloped her body.
How dare they insult me with fake footage?
I'll kill them.
I'll kill him.
I'll kill them right now.
This man.
And that mage.
"How dare you mock a Sylvester…"
That's when it happened.
"This won't do."
Suddenly, the loser grabbed her breasts roughly.
"Kyaa! What are you…"
Without her spirit powers, Helen was just an ordinary noblewoman.
Even against a loser like him, she didn't have the strength to break free from his grip.
"You seem to have forgotten, so I'll make you remember."
The loser's hands began to fondle her breasts more brazenly.
"We were good together, weren't we?"
"Stop it…"
It felt strange.
Why?