Chapter 304

The Magic Dream Contest is conducted entirely impromptu, without rehearsals.

The busy lives of the mages who came to promote their clans played a part in this, but ultimately, the contest revolves around showcasing magic, making the “story” a secondary element.

An hour ago, the famous narrator, previously a voice actor, received the script and contemplated how to convey the story engagingly within a short timeframe.

“Romeo and Juliet,” “Hansel and Gretel.”

These were stories the narrator had experienced dozens of times in this Neverland, but due to various “adaptations,” one must not let down their guard.

There were countless instances where the story deviated from the script.

There were cases where Romeo and Juliet ended up in a shootout with family members, and instances where Hansel and Gretel turned the witch into candy and devoured her.

Though somewhat creepy, the stories always concluded with a happy ending, making them an immensely popular comedy content for both adults and children.

However, what she read in the content about Romeo and Juliet was well beyond her expectations.

It was as if she wondered whether such a theme was even appropriate to be demonstrated in front of the public.

“Is… is this a harem scenario?”

* * *

The handsome young man from the Verona family, or rather the promising figure from the Laon Clan, Shin Yeon-ho, was facing his greatest life crisis.

“Your cousin, Benvolio, told me. ‘Even the sun that looks down upon all creation has never seen such a beauty!’ Did you really say that, Romeo?”

Juliet grabbed Romeo by the collar and snapped.

This referred to the proud and aloof Ice Princess, Rosalyn.

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

“Everyone! The person Romeo truly liked was my dear sister Rosalyn Capulet! My beloved Romeo is a pedophile… Is this something that even makes sense?”

“Juliet, what are you talking about!”

“Be quiet! I’m speaking!”

Juliet pounded her chest in frustration and shouted toward the audience.

“Who is Rosalyn?” “Was there someone Romeo liked?” Such bewildered reactions erupted from all around.

In fact, Romeo had been infatuated with Rosalyn, not Juliet, which even Shakespeare had stated.

Right before the secret wedding ceremony officiated by Friar Lawrence, when this truth was discovered by Juliet, she angrily recounted her grievances.

“Who is Rosalyn, you ask? It’s that girl over there!”

Juliet pointed beyond the curtain.

Bright lights turned on, revealing the silhouette of a girl.

Finally, the curtain parted, revealing the protagonist who had shattered Shakespeare’s story.

An unspecified girl, 112 cm tall, leaped onto the balcony set and waved at the audience.

The crowd cast disdainful glances at Romeo.

“Look at that disgusting scoundrel… He’s got a little girl…”

“Oh wow, she really is unspecified! So cute!”

“Mom, buy me that outfit too!”

“Lolicons need to be educated! Juliet, can you stand this?”

Shin Yeon-ho gulped.

He had initially been happy to be selected just as the protagonist of a romance play, yet suddenly found himself labeled as a pedophile.

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

The girl in the sky-blue cloak spotted Romeo and brightened up with a smile, waving to him as well.

Every time her tiny hand swept through the air, snowflakes bloomed, flying towards the audience like soap bubbles.

The children in the audience stood up, trying to catch them.

[The great sorceress Rosalyn still had feelings for Romeo. However, due to their age difference, he had to reject her. Can Romeo safely marry Juliet while avoiding Rosalyn’s eyes?]

The calm narration of the professional voice actor drilled into everyone’s ears.

“Ha ha…”

The unspecified girl made her entrance and soon exited the stage again. She would reappear only at the conclusion.

Shin Yeon-ho forced a sheepish smile.

Regardless, he had to witness the ending of this train-wreck drama for the sake of his scholarship for the semester.

* * *

As he stepped behind the stage, several clan members welcomed him.

He ignored the nearly beastly sounds of “Kyaa! So cute!” and sought out someone who spoke human language.

One of them was his senior, Namgung Jin, a sixth-year student from Seviron Academy.

“Noh Name, why are you participating on the Laon Clan stage? You were supposed to be in Hansel and Gretel, right? How could you betray us!”

“I’m appearing in both. Plus, I was supposed to go on first with the Laon Clan. Then the Changcheon Namgung Clan also permitted me. Technically, I’m betraying Laon Clan.”

“Hey! Isn’t that the same thing? What do you mean both are participating in our competitive structure!”

“So what? It’s not even my clan.”

“That’s true.”

The rapid acceptance from Namgung Jin was commendable.

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

“Yeah.”

“What role are you playing?”

“A bluebird. I guide the Hansel and Gretel siblings to the candy house.”

“Then you’re the villain.”

“Villain… Huh? Is that correct?”

It seemed Shin Yeon-ho had caught him off guard, as Namgung Jin showed a contemplative expression for a while.

“Well, do you use magic too?”

“Of course. I’m going to use our clan’s unique magic called ‘Changcheon Fire Spear’. It’s a 3rd Circle spell similar to a 4th Circle magic where the spear travels along a spiral groove, generating frictional heat and maximizing angular momentum.”

The explanation flowed smoothly like a stream.

But is he genuinely knowledgeable enough to explain this?

“Then, a surprise quiz. What is the law of conservation of angular momentum? Get it right, and you win 50,000 won.”

“Uh… Umm… Uh… Kim Yuna…”

“Kim Yuna?”

“Our tutor definitely told us that… What was it? Wait, just a moment, I can explain it!”

Of course.

This type of magic could be cast just by memorizing it blindly.

Being able to use it without understanding a thing was impressive enough.

A person who won the Academy’s competitive tournament for five consecutive years must really be on a different level.

“But isn’t ‘Hwachang’ a type of fire magic?”

“Yeah! I only use fire magic.”

“Isn’t it odd for a bluebird to use fire magic?”

“Well… what does it matter? Isn’t there a rule against bluebirds not handling fire? I can breathe fire too!”

Having said that, Namgung Jin turned his head away, perhaps embarrassed.

“What about you, Name? Did you prepare some extraordinary magic?”

Namgung Jin asked, slightly skeptical.

Fidgeting, Noh Name noticed the hopscotch pattern on the floor and stood in front of square number one.

“The circle is free.”

“Huh?”

“1st Circle, 2nd Circle, 3rd Circle. This is the lower circles. It describes, mimics, and sometimes utilizes natural phenomena.”

Every step she took forward made her twin tails sway up and down.

Then Noh Name jumped both feet forward simultaneously.

“4th Circle, 5th Circle. This is the middle circles. This is where nature tests human imagination. One can build a house or a drawer from a single tree and even create a fountain pen from it.”

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

For the boy who took it lightly, Noh Name hopped again towards square number six.

“6th Circle, 7th Circle, 8th Circle. From here on, it’s the higher circles. Magic transcends nature and sometimes even destroys it. The 9th Circle and 10th Circle beyond that are said to create new laws of nature themselves.”

“So?”

“You said you’d show me a 3rd Circle spell similar to a 4th Circle, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Then I will show you a 5th Circle spell similar to a 6th Circle. Let’s see how far imagination can go.”

* * *

The play reached its climax.

The narrator was scrambling to flesh out the story without breaking its continuity as if riding bare feet on an unstable tightrope.

“Ugh… Ugh… Rosalyn… Rosalyn, it was you! Who else could poison my Juliet?”

Completely absorbed in method acting, Shin Yeon-ho wailed the name of Rosalyn in front of Juliet’s grave.

[Romeo thought that Rosalyn was the one who killed Juliet. The magic that cooled the body and stopped the heart could only be used by Rosalyn.]

The story went off the rails.

Normally, Romeo would win his duel with Count Paris, succumb to despair over life, drink poison, and commit suicide.

In a slightly more hopeful version, Friar Lawrence would arrive and dissuade him, revealing that Juliet was still alive.

In neither the original work nor the script was there any instance where he would meet Rosalyn at this point.

Just then, Noh Name dragged her ice cloak up the stairs from below the stage. It seemed the staff had urgently deployed her.

The narrator sighed in relief and grabbed the microphone again.

[Rosalyn came here to confirm Romeo’s true feelings. She decided to confess to him one more time, fully knowing that Juliet was alive.]

Rosalyn has, in effect, become an unprecedented villain.

The hastily constructed setting borne from the voice actor’s professional determination was now taken over by Noh Name.

“Juliet is already dead. Romeo, if my age is a problem. I can wait for you for ten years or twenty years until I become an adult.”

With chilling yet romantic lines spilling from Noh Name’s tiny lips, a murmur of admiration went through the audience.

Aside from the small gasps of amazement, everyone held their breath, waiting for the conclusion of the story.

[Spell: Laon’s Spear II]

The holy spear, made of light, shot forth from the magic circle and plunged mightily into the ground beneath Noh Name.

The spear’s slanted point provided Noh Name with the sole spotlight.

“Then show me, Rosalyn. The cruel truth you’ve been desperate to reveal while taking Juliet’s life.”

The cheesy line had caused a shiver to run down Noh Name’s arm.

“How sincere is this human about acting…! Huh… professionalism. Professionalism.”

Having brainwashed herself, Noh Name tightly closed her eyes and uttered her next line.

“I will prove it here. Who among Juliet and me is the more beautiful woman? The stars up there will surely recognize it.”

Noh Name pointed toward the audience as she declared.

The already rowdy atmosphere quickly quieted down.

In the suffocating silence, Noh Name dismantled the red horns she had meticulously collected and prepared a new spell.

[5th Circle Casting: Akashic Record]

[Unique Magic – Demon Lord’s Horn]

Five magic circles of varying sizes overlapped above her head.

Dust cascading from the magic circles formed a framework, and the surrounding mana began to be voraciously absorbed.

Before the thick black horns could fully grow, Noh Name knelt and drew upon her magic power with all her might.

Her cherry lips were caught busily pouting and unfurling again.

After reciting dozens of runes, the spell was unleashed.

[5th Circle Area Spell: Glacis Imago (glácĭes imágo)]

Commonly known as Ice Illusion.

Noh Name wrapped a magic circle around her wrist, clenched her fist, and slammed it down hard onto the stone floor.

Bang!

The start of the spell sounded like a clear chime.

Crack-crack—

The ground around where she struck began to freeze solid.

When encountering obstacles, it would cover them with a transparent veil; if not, it would stretch on indefinitely.

“Was there a chair around here?”

As she raised her arm subtly, the mana swirled and formed a structure.

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

Noh Name reclined upon it lightly and sent the magic circle soaring into the sky.

Dozens of pillars sprang to life all at once, connecting the earth to the sky.

The magic circle settled in the air soon morphed into a colossal ceiling, extending all the way to the audience.

“Grandma, look! A castle is falling above our heads…!”

“Oh my, what is that?!”

The pure ice became a reflection of the heart.

—————————

The icy ceiling, or the mirror of ice, reflected the grand view of a sprawling medieval city below.

What would it feel like if a civilization-built moon were to crash down right above their heads?

People began pulling out their phones from their pockets to capture the scene of the magic.

The towering clock tower, precariously hanging upside down, was a perilous sight.

Water sprayed from the beautiful fountain in the circular plaza, defying gravity as it cascaded upward.

The meandering river slicing through the city, the intricate roads resembling a spider’s web, and the high fortress walls defining its exterior added grandeur to the scenery.

And there lay the vast garden and the lonely yet magnificent palace right at the center.

The monochrome mirror truly contained an entirely new world.

The audience gasped in awe, peering into the new world through the mind of one girl.

With such a breathtaking spectacle on display, the audience no longer had the leisure to immerse themselves in the play.

“Noh Name. You’re not telling me… is this your dream world?”

Shin Yeon-ho frowned, alternating his gaze between the ceiling and Noh Name.

The dream world is a concept that extends from ‘myself’.

The more entities interact with ‘me’, the exponentially greater the amount of information needed to contain it becomes.

“Wow… This is simply unreal.”

And this was praise directed towards the girl who had realized an entire world within her head.