23

After finishing today’s float exhibition, Ezra stood quietly in the research room of his mansion, lost in thought.

By now, a great incident that would shake the history of this country should be taking place at the palace.

It was none other than Ezra who had given Eugenia this plan.

It was a plan by Ezra, who, as a strategist of the kingdom’s magical army, had long moved the hidden history of the kingdom.

Eloise and Naranda should also be carrying out Ezra’s top-secret mission inside the palace by now. There should have been no flaws in the operation.

(According to the schedule, it should be around the time of the float voting now.)

Ezra was supposed to simply wait quietly with Beth in his own mansion until everything was over.

Of course, Beth had not been told anything.

(…Why, without any warning, is this much magical power coming from the greenhouse? Why?)

Ezra, who had been quietly waiting for word from Naranda, sensed without any warning that magical power on the level of a magical beast leader had suddenly appeared from the direction of the Magic Institute greenhouse, and he grew greatly agitated.

At the sudden appearance of great magical power, cold sweat would not stop pouring down his face.

If the owner of this magical power was a magical beast with malice toward humans, the Royal Capital would not stand a chance against this enormous magical power.

(What is it??? Is that the direction of the greenhouse where Noel-sama is? What on earth is happening in the greenhouse????)

Inside the greenhouse, Noel had set up a powerful barrier.

Noel should not have been told anything at all about today’s operation.

At Eugenia’s strong wish, it had been decided that Noel would not be allowed to involve himself in this incident at all.

Rodney had been assigned to keep watch regularly, and the management of information being cut off from Noel should have been flawless as well.

(And yet, why? Noel-sama has nothing to do with this incident.)

Because of the barrier Noel had set up, the magical power generated inside the greenhouse would not leak outside.

However, even with Noel’s magical power barrier, a huge wave of magical power, like a shock wave, came directly to Ezra as wind. The prickling impact he felt on his skin was painful.

Something major was happening in the greenhouse.

However, the only ones who could likely grasp this situation were Ezra and perhaps the magicians of the Magic Institute who possessed high magical power. Ordinary people should only feel it as a mere capricious gust of wind.

Ezra fired emergency communication magic at Noel, who was in the greenhouse, and Rodney, who should have been at the Magic Institute.

However, before Ezra’s magic could reach the greenhouse, it was swallowed by the shock wave’s vibrations and vanished without reaching its destination.

(Damn it. The major incident that was supposed to happen in history today should have been limited to the princess’s coup inside the palace.)

Ezra was confused by the completely unexpected generation of great magical power in the greenhouse. It was entirely beyond his assumptions.

(There are no holes in the operation. What is happening?)

Amid Ezra’s confusion, this time the sky over the Royal Capital flashed as if covered in lightning, and the magical power of the royal family’s barrier spread throughout the Royal Capital all changed at once into Eugenia’s magical power.

(So that means the coup is being carried out without any problems, just as planned… Then why on earth is that magical power in the greenhouse there?)

“Uwaaaaah?? Ezra-sama!!! What is this light???”

Beth, who had been cleaning Ezra’s float, saw a huge golden light suddenly rise above the float, with thick bands of light stretching in every direction like bridges, and she tumbled into the mansion in a great panic.

“Beth, it is all right. Calm down. The Royal Capital’s festival attractions are like this.”

In order to calm Beth down, Ezra blurted out a huge lie.

“Oh, I see. City festivals sure are amazing.”

Since Beth had come from the countryside where there were not even macarons, she did not realize that she had easily become a witness to a great incident that would shake the history of this kingdom, and she swallowed Ezra’s words completely before immediately regaining her calm.

However, Ezra’s concern at this very moment was neither Beth, who was laughing in surprise beside him, nor the moment of the princess’s coup, for which he had provided the plan.

(This is bad.)

Ezra sensed that the space-time inside the greenhouse was being unnaturally distorted by magical power.

And for some reason, he felt that the great space-time distortion was slowly approaching in the direction of Ezra’s mansion.

“Beth, it is dangerous!!”

“Eeeeh? Kyaaa!!! Is this also a festival attraction? Right, Ezra-sama???? Kyaaa!!”

The space-time distortion suddenly opened wide in the sky above Ezra’s mansion, and with a thunderous roar, it sucked Beth straight in together with Ezra’s float, then vanished as if nothing had happened.