Ch.304299 – Glacies Imago

The Magic Dream Contest is conducted entirely impromptu, with no rehearsals.

This was partly because the mages who came to promote their clans had extremely busy real lives, but also because the contest was primarily about “magic demonstrations” while “story” was merely a secondary element.

The narrator, a former professional voice actor who received the script just an hour ago, pondered how to deliver the story in an engaging way during such a short time.

‘Romeo and Juliet,’ ‘Hansel and Gretel.’

These were stories experienced dozens of times here in Neverland, but one couldn’t let their guard down because of those darned “adaptations.”

Stories frequently deviated from the script. There were cases where Romeo and Juliet would film a John Wick-style action sequence against their family members to protect their love, or where Hansel and Gretel would turn the tables and transform the witch into candy before devouring her.

Though somewhat creepy, these adaptations always ended happily, maintaining the fairy tale format, making them popular comedy content for audiences of all ages.

However, the Romeo and Juliet script she received was far beyond her expectations.

So much so that she wondered if such a theme was appropriate to perform in front of the public.

“Is… is this a harem story?”

* * *

Romeo, the handsome youth of the Verona family—or rather, Shin Yeon-ho, the promising talent of the Raon Clan—faced the greatest crisis of his life.

“Your cousin Benvolio told me. ‘Even the sun that looks down upon everything hasn’t seen such a beauty since the beginning of time!’ Did you really say that, Romeo?”

Juliet grabbed Romeo’s collar and snapped at him.

These were words meant to describe Rosaline, the proud and cold ice princess.

“Juliet, I must have been temporarily blinded then. She was using transformation magic—”

“Everyone! Romeo’s original love interest was my dear sister Rosaline Capulet! To think that my beloved Romeo was a pedophile… Is this, is this even believable?”

“Juliet, what are you saying!”

“Quiet! I’m speaking!”

Juliet pounded her chest indignantly as she shouted toward the audience.

Confused reactions like ‘Who’s Rosaline?’ and ‘Romeo had someone else he liked?’ erupted from various places.

In fact, Romeo had been in love with Rosaline, not Juliet, a fact even Shakespeare had acknowledged.

When Juliet discovered this right before the secret wedding ceremony officiated by Friar Lawrence, she flew into a rage and demanded to hear the whole story.

“Who is Rosaline, you ask? This child right here!”

Juliet pointed beyond the curtain.

A bright spotlight suddenly illuminated the dark silhouette of a girl.

Then the curtains parted to reveal the protagonist who had completely shattered Shakespeare’s story.

NoName, standing at 112cm tall, hopped onto the balcony set and waved to the audience.

The crowd shot Romeo looks of contempt.

“My goodness, what a despicable man… such a young child…”

“Oh my, that’s really NoName! She’s so cute!”

“Mom, buy me that outfit too!”

“Lolicons need to be taught a lesson! Juliet, how can you stand this?”

Shin Yeon-ho gulped.

He had happily volunteered as the protagonist of a romance play, only to be suddenly treated as a pedophile.

‘This is too much… I’m never participating in this again.’

Name, wearing a sky-blue cape, spotted Romeo and smiled brightly, waving to him as well.

Each time her tiny hand swept through the air, snowflakes blossomed and floated toward the audience like soap bubbles.

Some children in the audience even stood up trying to catch them.

[The great mage Rosaline still liked Romeo. But Romeo had to reject her because of their age difference. Will Romeo be able to safely marry Juliet while avoiding Rosaline’s eyes?]

The professional voice actor’s calm narration hit the mark perfectly.

“Haha…”

After making her appearance, Name exited the stage again. She would only return for the finale.

Shin Yeon-ho gave an awkward smile.

After all, for the sake of his semester scholarship, he had to see this ridiculous drama through to the end.

* * *

When I came down backstage, several clan members welcomed me.

Ignoring the animalistic squeals like “Kyaaah kawaii,” I searched for people who actually spoke human language.

One of them was Namgong Jin, a senior in 6th grade at our Cephiron Academy.

“NoName, you… why are you participating in the Raon Clan’s stage? Weren’t you supposed to be in Hansel and Gretel? How could you betray us!”

“I’m appearing in both… and what betrayal? I originally agreed to perform with the Raon Clan first, you know? The Changcheon Namgong Clan gave permission afterward. Strictly speaking, I betrayed the Raon Clan.”

“Hey! That’s the same thing! We’re competitors, how can you participate in both!”

“What does it matter? It’s not even my clan.”

“True. I guess you’re right.”

I appreciated Namgong Jin’s quick agreement.

“Are you also participating in the contest, senior?”

“Yes.”

“What role do you have?”

“The Bluebird. I guide the Hansel and Gretel siblings to the candy house.”

“So you’re a villain then.”

“Villain… Huh? Am I a villain?”

I must have hit a nerve, as Namgong Jin spent quite some time pondering this.

“Do you have any magic to perform?”

“Of course. I’ll be using our clan’s innate magic ‘Azure Sky Fire Lance.’ It’s a 3rd circle magic that’s like 4th circle, where the lance moves along a spiral groove, creating frictional heat and maximizing angular momentum.”

The explanation flowed smoothly like a mountain stream.

But does he really understand what he’s explaining?

“Here’s a pop quiz then. What’s the law of conservation of angular momentum? Get it right and I’ll give you 50,000 won.”

“Uh… um… uh… Kim Yuna…”

“Kim Yuna?”

“My tutor definitely taught me this… what was it again… Wait, just give me a moment, I can explain it!”

I thought as much.

With this type of magic, you can cast it just by memorizing it.

It’s already impressive to be able to use it without understanding it.

I wonder if someone who won the Academy Competition five years in a row was truly exceptional from the start.

“But if it’s a fire lance, isn’t that fire-attribute magic?”

“Yes! I only use fire-attribute magic.”

“But why would a Bluebird use fire-attribute magic?”

“What… what’s wrong with that! Is there a law saying a Bluebird can’t handle fire? I’ll even breathe out some fire like a dragon!”

Embarrassed by his own words, Namgong Jin turned his head away.

“What about you, Name? Have you prepared some amazing magic?”

Namgong Jin asked glumly.

Name, who had been stomping her feet, noticed a hopscotch pattern on the floor and stood in front of square number 1.

“The circles are degrees of freedom.”

“Huh?”

“1st circle, 2nd circle, 3rd circle. These are the lower circles. They describe, imitate, and sometimes utilize natural phenomena.”

Her pigtails bounced up and down as she advanced forward with each number.

Then Name jumped with both feet together to move forward.

“4th circle, 5th circle. These are the middle circles. This is where nature tests human imagination. The kind of imagination that can turn a single tree into a house, a drawer, or even a fountain pen.”

“I know that. They teach all this at the academy.”

For the boy who was dismissing her explanation, Name hopped on one foot toward square 6.

“6th circle, 7th circle, 8th circle. From here are the higher circles. Magic transcends nature and sometimes even destroys it. Beyond that, the 9th and 10th circles are said to create entirely new laws of nature.”

“So?”

“You said you’d show a 3rd circle magic that’s like 4th circle, right?”

“Yes.”

“Then I’ll show you a 5th circle magic that’s like 6th circle. To show how far imagination can go.”

* * *

The play reached its climax.

The narrator was struggling desperately to add substance to maintain the story’s coherence, feeling like she was walking barefoot on razor blades.

“Sob… ugh… Rosaline… Rosaline, it was you! Who else would poison my Juliet but you!”

Deeply immersed in method acting, Shin Yeon-ho cried out Rosaline’s name at Juliet’s tomb.

[Romeo believed that Rosaline had killed Juliet. After all, only Rosaline could use magic that chilled the body and stopped the heart.]

The story had gone off track.

Originally, Romeo was supposed to win a duel with Count Paris, then despair and commit suicide by drinking poison.

In a more hopeful version, Friar Lawrence would arrive to tell him that Juliet was actually alive.

In neither the original work nor the script was Romeo supposed to meet Rosaline at this point.

Just then, Name came up the stairs, dragging an ice cape. The staff must have urgently deployed her.

The narrator sighed with relief and picked up the microphone again.

[Rosaline came here to confirm Romeo’s true feelings. She decided to confess to him once more, even though Romeo thought Juliet was dead. Even though she knew full well that Juliet was still alive.]

Rosaline had now become the ultimate villainess.

Name took over the hastily created setting with the voice actor’s professional dedication.

“Juliet is already dead. Romeo, if my age is the problem, I can wait for you for 10 years, even 20 years, until I become an adult.”

Creepy yet romantic lines flowed from Name’s small mouth.

Except for the audience members who were quietly expressing their admiration with “ooh”s, everyone held their breath waiting for the story’s conclusion.

[Casting: Raon’s Spear II]

A spear of light shot out from the magic circle and struck the ground at Name’s feet with a crash.

The spear, embedded at an angle, provided Name with a solo spotlight.

“Then show me, Rosaline. Show me that cruel sincerity you wanted to show me so badly that you killed Juliet.”

Name’s arms broke out in goosebumps at Shin Yeon-ho’s cringeworthy lines.

‘How seriously is this guy taking this play…! Whew… professionalism. Professionalism.’

After brainwashing herself, Name closed her eyes tight and delivered her next line.

“Then I’ll prove it right here. Between Juliet and me, who is the more beautiful woman. The stars up there will judge for us.”

Name declared, pointing to the audience.

Even the previously noisy atmosphere subsided.

In the hushed silence where everyone held their breath, Name dissolved the red horns she had worked so hard to gather and prepared a new spell.

[5th Circle Casting: Akashic Record]

[Innate Magic – Demon King’s Horn]

Five differently sized magic circles overlapped above her head.

Dust falling from the magic circles formed a framework and began greedily absorbing mana from the surroundings.

Before the rough black horn could fully grow, Name knelt on one knee and drew up all the magical power she could.

Her cherry-like lips busily pursed and relaxed.

After reciting dozens of rune characters, the magic emerged.

[5th Circle Universal Casting: Glácĭes Imágo]

In common terms, Ice Illusion.

Name wrapped magic circles around her wrist, then clenched her fist and struck the stone floor hard.

Tung-!

The magic began with a clear bell sound.

Crack-crack-

The floor began to freeze solid from the point where she struck.

When encountering obstacles, it covered them with a transparent membrane; where there were none, it continued to spread.

“I think there was a chair around here.”

As she slightly raised her arm, mana swirled and formed crystals.

A massive ice throne emerged, large enough to comfortably seat three adult men.

Name reclined on it diagonally and sent the magic circle flying upward.

Dozens of pillars rose simultaneously, connecting earth and sky.

The magic circle settled in midair and soon transformed into a massive ceiling that expanded all the way to the audience seats.

“Grandma, that castle is falling on our heads…!”

“Oh my, what in tarnation is that?”

Pure ice is a mirror of the mind.

What was reflected beyond the ice ceiling, or ice mirror, was the view of a vast medieval city seen from above.

It felt as if a civilized moon was about to crash right onto their heads.

People began taking out their phones one by one to capture this magical moment.

The tall clock tower hanging upside down looked precarious.

Water from the beautiful fountain in the circular plaza defied gravity and flowed upward.

The winding river cutting through the city, the complex roads spreading like spider webs into every corner, and the high walls defining the outer boundaries added depth to the grandeur.

And at the center stood a vast garden and a lonely yet magnificent palace.

The monochrome mirror truly contained a new world.

People who glimpsed this new world through a young girl’s mind continuously expressed their amazement.

After witnessing such an incredible sight, the audience no longer had the capacity to focus on the play.

“NoName. Don’t tell me… is this showing your mental world?”

Shin Yeon-ho frowned, looking back and forth between the ceiling and Name.

The mental world is a concept that extends from “self.”

The more entities that interact with “self,” the more exponentially the amount of information that needs to be contained increases.

“Wow… this is truly unbelievable.”

And this was praise directed at the girl who had managed to implement an entire world inside her head.