Chapter 7

After my brother left, I had a healing spell cast on me again, just to be safe.

To be honest, healing magic is so convenient. I can use it a little, but considering the future, I should probably study it more. While I was tidying up my appearance, I suddenly became concerned about the situation in the venue.

"Hey, Claudia. I made a rather unreasonable request to King Alan. Will Father scold me later?"

"No, you might be scolded for taking a risk to save Prince Cyril, but I don't think you will be scolded for requesting the continuation of the presentation."

"…Oh, why not? I thought it was quite an unreasonable request."

Claudia murmured, "Were you unaware?" and said, "Your proposal was a godsend for the royal family."

"My proposal was a godsend? You mean the royal family wanted to continue the presentation?"

"Yes. The magic presentation on the lake is an event hosted by the country under the pretext of training magicians. If it were canceled due to security lapses, it would affect the country's prestige. However, since you were injured, continuing the event would also invite criticism."

"…Oh, I see. That's why my proposal was a godsend."

The royal family had obtained a noble cause to continue the presentation in order to repay their benefactor.

…It didn't occur to me until you mentioned it. Even though this body has a clear mind, I can't make full use of it right now. This time, it was fine because my interests aligned with King Alan's, but if I don't improve, I might be manipulated by the plots swirling in high society someday.

After resting in the tent for a while, I returned to the venue.

Soon, the presentation resumed, and it was our year's turn. The entire venue fell silent, and the audience's anticipation grew as I moved to the wings with Prince Cyril.

Other students of the same year performed magic one after another, and the venue echoed with sounds of surprise and admiration.

It was the third-year middle school section.

Most of them had been learning magic for two or three years, and the variety of magic they could use was not extensive. However, in this year, the first signs of advanced techniques were beginning to show, such as adding colors to floating soap bubbles.

"---Sophia."

While waiting in the wings, I was suddenly called from behind. I turned around to see a girl with purple hair and a mysterious aura. Her green eyes were fixed on me.

…This girl is Iris.

"I'm sorry to bother you before your presentation. I just wanted to thank you."

"Thank you?"

"Yes. Thank you for requesting the continuation of the presentation. Thanks to you, I didn't lose my chance to pursue my dream."

The event where the presentation would be canceled, and her chance to pursue her dream would be lost, was avoided. Realizing this, I couldn't help but smile.

"Don't worry about it. I also wanted the presentation to continue. Besides, I'm looking forward to your performance, Iris."

I smiled, and Iris also smiled, saying, "Thank you."

She was very cute. In the original game, she is a friend of the heroine, but all the characters in this game are beautiful and have good personalities. It was fun to talk to Iris, whom I had always admired, and we chatted until her name was suddenly called.

"Excuse me, Sophia. Let's talk again later."

She turned and walked up to the stage.

After introducing herself, she created a vase made of ice with a red rose in it. Both the rose and the vase were made of ice.

She used very high-level techniques, but unfortunately, it was hard to see from a distance. If it could be displayed in a place like an art gallery, it might have received high praise.

Just as I was thinking this, Prince Cyril's name was called.

"…Is the royal family always the last among the same year?"

I tilted my head, wondering why he was before me. Then, a servant who served Prince Cyril approached me and said, "Prince Cyril has a message to let you go last as a small token of gratitude to his benefactor."

I smiled wryly and gratefully accepted the offer.

I saw Prince Cyril off.

He walked onto the stage, greeted the audience, and then started walking towards the lake behind him. Moreover, he didn't stop when he reached the edge of the stage and stepped onto the lake. Someone whispered, "It's dangerous," but Prince Cyril didn't sink into the lake; instead, he started walking on the surface. He then ascended as if climbing stairs, and began walking in the air.

"…He's creating a foothold with compressed air."

This is different from the setting in the original game. I remember he was supposed to use wind magic to make objects float during this presentation.

Indeed, he is making an object (himself) float, but the expressions of his associates show anxiety, suggesting that Prince Cyril changed his presentation content at the last moment.

Flying through the air is certainly a fantastical sight. Those who don't know the circumstances are captivated by Prince Cyril's magic. After about a minute, Prince Cyril descended onto the stage.

The venue erupted in unprecedented cheers.

"Now, to conclude the third-year middle school section, we have Miss Sophia, the daughter of the House of Wisteria!"

My name was called, and I walked onto the stage, still excited. I smiled wryly to myself, thinking, "Prince Cyril, it's quite harsh to have me present in this situation." If I had created an ice sculpture as originally planned, no matter how intricate it was, it probably would have dampened the mood of the venue.

"Sophia Wisteria. I will use water magic."

I made a curtsy and slowly looked up at the sky. The sun had started to set, thanks to the break we took for safety checks.

I confirmed this and turned my back to the audience. However, I didn't turn my back completely because the royal family was present. I stood at an angle, looked up at the sky, and made countless tiny droplets of water float in the air.

Spraying water into the sky creates a rainbow. This is a phenomenon known to every Japanese person.

What is less known is the direction in which to spray the water. You need to spray it with the sun behind you. The venue met this condition.

I skillfully manipulated the water droplets to create a large rainbow over the lake. I added larger droplets to create a sparkling rainbow by causing light to scatter.

…It turned out better than I expected. I praised myself, but the audience's reaction wasn't as I had hoped. When I turned my head, I saw the audience with their mouths open in the backlight.

They seem surprised. If that's the case, it's fine to proceed as planned.

I extended my right hand towards the audience and snapped my fingers. At that moment, the large droplets that were causing the light to scatter fell like snow, creating beautiful ripples on the lake as they melted. With the fading rainbow as the backdrop, I made a curtsy, and the venue was enveloped in loud cheers and applause.