This Isn’t an E*otic Game?

A regular academic conference was underway.

In the Magic Tower of the capital, Mars City, a diverse crowd from across the empire had gathered.

Representatives from the largest merchant groups capable of influencing the entire empire. High-ranking priests from the major religious orders within the empire.

Journalists.

Engineers.

And many more.

The upper echelons of society, curious about the direction magic would take in the future, had mostly converged on the Magic Tower.

“High Priest! It’s been a while! Hahaha!”

“It’s been a while for you as well, Chairman Baikal! Hahaha!”

While enjoying the various refreshments, tea, and alcohol in the presentation hall, people greeted one another leisurely and amicably.

Everyone gathered there focused their attention on the representatives from the various regional branches of the Magic Tower who were presenting their research papers.

Though it was called a gathering for greetings, it was essentially an event to gauge who might become the next Tower Master or lead the future development of magic.

“I hear you are the author of the representative paper from the Mars branch of the Magic Tower. Hahaha! Congratulations. The emergence of such brilliant intellects is always a delight.”

“Lady Erfa! It’s been a long time! I’m looking forward to your new representative paper.”

Countless individuals—many of them high-ranking figures in the empire—approached Erfa, extending their hands for a handshake.

Even with her four arms, it was almost impossible for Erfa to accommodate all the handshake requests.

But she wasn’t displeased.

Not at all.

“I’m being acknowledged.”@@novelbin@@

Everyone was looking at her.

They extended their hands to her and showed interest in her.

Even though her own parents had once been so repulsed by her that they abandoned her, vomiting in disgust, now everyone was recognizing and accepting her.

Erfa felt tears welling up.

And every time she felt such emotions, she reinforced the adhesion spell on the silver mask covering the left side of her face.

Never.

It must never be discovered.

Erfa repeated this vow to herself over and over.

If the grotesque face hidden beneath this mask were ever revealed...

Even imagining the consequences made her soul feel like it was collapsing.

She wanted to continue being acknowledged.

She didn’t ask for much.

She just wanted ordinary human relationships.

She wanted to live among people, to belong.

She didn’t want to be abandoned, wounded, and left alone to live in solitude again.

"I just thought you wore that mask because the left side of your face is badly twisted and deformed, and you don’t want to show it."

Just yesterday.

Tudel had suddenly appeared and tossed those words at her like a dagger.

Tudel.

The witch who had despised and envied Erfa from the moment she arrived at the Magic Tower.

What Tudel might attempt to do.

Erfa couldn’t even begin to imagine.

She prayed, desperately, that today would pass without incident.

Erfa fervently wished for that.

“We will now commence the 213th Regular Academic Conference! Everyone, please take your seats!”

Finally, the conference began.

The large audience took their seats.

Meanwhile, Erfa and the other representative authors from the regional branches of the Magic Tower moved backstage.

There, they prepared for their presentations.

Erfa, like everyone else, headed to her designated seat and began reviewing and refining her paper one last time.

Fortunately, Tudel was nowhere to be seen.

Although her unease hadn’t entirely disappeared, Erfa managed to push the anxiety aside.

The adhesion spell on her mask was her own invention.

It couldn’t be easily undone.

Additionally, as a precaution, she had attached fine threads to physically secure the mask to her face today.

Even if Tudel harbored ill intentions, it wouldn’t be easy to forcibly remove the mask.

"Shake off the distractions, Erfa."

She would not be discovered.

No matter what, she would not be discovered.

Resolving this in her heart, Erfa continued her preparations for the presentation.

***

The regular academic conference was filled with remarkable studies befitting its prestige.

Papers on new magical engines.

Papers on new healing potions.

Papers on methods to increase the flight speed of airships.

The applause in the conference hall grew louder and louder, and the mages and witches who presented the representative papers left the stage with pride on their faces.

And finally.

“The representative paper from the Mars branch of the Magic Tower: The Study of the Primary Colors!”

It was Erfa’s turn.

Erfa slowly ascended the stage.

She could feel the thunderous applause and the intense gazes directed at her.

Taking a deep breath, she bowed politely, then used the projection stone to materialize her research into a holographic illusion in midair and began her presentation.

The Study of the Primary Colors focused on the optimization of magic.

It was a study on how to cast larger-scale magic using less mana.

As her explanation continued, the expressions of the audience began to change.

This was a revolution.

The study had practical applications across various fields while maintaining academic rigor and perfection in its methodology.

Creativity, innovation, potential for development—
This study was flawless in every aspect.

“With this, I conclude my presentation on the Study of the Primary Colors.”

As Erfa’s words echoed through the conference hall, everyone rose to their feet and began clapping.

“Magnificent! Absolutely magnificent!”

“This is the most remarkable study I’ve heard in recent times! Perfection! Erfa!”

Erfa looked at the faces of the people applauding her.

Overcome with emotion, she had to quickly avert her gaze.

She had been acknowledged.

The scene she had always dreamed of had finally become a reality.

No longer would she be rejected.

No longer would she be oppressed and abused.

People would love her.

At the thought, Erfa clasped her trembling four hands together tightly and quietly bowed her head.

“Thank you.”

She wished this moment could last forever.

As Erfa lowered her head, the applause grew even louder.

Tudel was nowhere to be seen.

“It seems we’ve found our next Tower Master,” remarked Magic Tower Master Yorgren with a smile, his words faintly audible even on the stage.

Could she be any happier?

As Erfa smiled and began to lift her head—

Clap. Clap. Clap.

The sound of deliberate, exaggerated applause echoed as someone stood from the audience and began walking toward the stage.

Tudel.

The smile vanished from Erfa’s face as she saw her.

Breaking away from the crowd, Tudel strode forward, drawing the gaze of those who had been clapping. Gradually, the applause ceased as all eyes turned to her.

“A remarkable paper! Truly exceptional work! Absolutely impressive,” Tudel declared loudly, wearing a smile.

“If only it weren’t hiding such a hideous truth.”

Murmurs spread through the hall, growing louder and louder.

Shock.

Confusion.

Discomfort.

Outrage.

Magic Tower Master Yorgren stood, his face etched with displeasure.

“Tudel, what are you doing?”

“I know this goes against protocol. But there is a truth that must be revealed.”

“Whatever truth you’re referring to, this behavior is unacceptable. Return to your seat immediately—”

“Abomination!”

Tudel cut off Yorgren’s words with a shout.

The room froze.

Especially the priests of the White Order, whose expressions turned grave.

“Witch Erfa is an abomination! Everyone! She has been deceiving us! A being said to bring misfortune and calamity has been hiding among us!!”

Tudel’s triumphant smile widened as she pointed at Erfa’s silver mask.

“Beneath that mask! A grotesque and revolting face lies hidden! She has been hiding it from us for over a decade!”

“Is that true?”

The priests of the White Order couldn’t remain seated and rose from their chairs.

“This must be verified! Did you witness it yourself?”

“Of course. Beneath that mask is a face so horrifying it feels as though it would taint one’s very soul.”

She had never seen it.

Of course, she hadn’t.

Erfa never revealed the left side of her face.

Obsessively so, she was always masked when meeting people and was even known to wear it while sleeping.

Strictly speaking, Tudel was gambling right now.

If Erfa were to calmly remove her silver mask and reveal a normal face, Tudel would suffer significant repercussions.

Even if her face were disfigured, unless it was so grotesque that it caused nausea and revulsion, Tudel would fail.

For Tudel’s gamble to succeed, what lay beneath that mask had to be a sight so horrifying it left everyone speechless.

And Tudel was confident that her gamble would pay off.

She despised Erfa but knew her well.

She had observed and studied her relentlessly, driven by a desire to win.

That’s why Tudel could be so certain.

“I swear upon my honor and my status as a witch of the Magic Tower.”

At Tudel’s resolute declaration, the priests of the White Order pushed their way through the crowd, advancing toward the stage.

The elders of the Magic Tower, along with Yorgren, the Tower Master, and those who held Erfa in high regard, stepped forward to block the priests.

“This is unacceptable! Investigating a witch or mage affiliated with the Magic Tower requires proper authorization! You can’t act on a single accusation!” Yorgren argued vehemently.

In response, a priest of the White Order raised his voice.
“Then we formally request an investigation! If over seventy percent of the Mars branch's mages and witches agree, the investigation can proceed! Summon them immediately!”

“Must it really come to this?” Yorgren asked.

“It must! Abominations are no trivial matter to overlook!” the priest insisted.

“Historically, the majority of those accused of being abominations were simply patients suffering from rare illnesses! Nine out of ten cases were just that!” Yorgren countered.

“And the one out of ten? That one caused widespread catastrophe! Especially when the accused is a witch! Such an abomination could bring devastation capable of obliterating the empire itself! Start the vote immediately!”

Realizing there was no way to stop this escalation, Yorgren reluctantly conceded.
“Summon the mages and witches of the Magic Tower—”

“There’s no need for that, Tower Master. I’ve already gathered them,” Tudel interjected, clapping her hands as if she had been waiting for this moment. In response to her signal, a line of witches and mages waiting outside the conference hall filed in.

“Seventy-five mages and witches from the Mars branch of the Magic Tower. That’s more than seventy percent of the total members, enough to conduct a vote. Isn’t that right?” Tudel remarked with a cheerful smile.

Yorgren shot Tudel a conflicted look, but he ultimately had no choice but to step back.

“One of our witches stands accused of being an abomination. As you all know, the term was historically used by those who lacked understanding of magic, referring to individuals suffering from rare conditions. The White Order has formally requested the authority to investigate Witch Erfa.”

Yorgren slowly scanned the faces of the gathered mages and witches.
“Erfa is an exemplary witch. She has never harmed anyone and has walked the path of magic with exceptional dedication and integrity. Her talents should continue to benefit humanity. That is my belief.”

Finally, Yorgren turned his gaze to Erfa, who stood frozen on the stage, trembling.

“The White Order’s request is unfounded. Erfa is not an abomination. That’s what I believe. I hope you all feel the same.”

With that, Yorgren drew his wand from his robe and waved it through the air. A massive scale materialized in the hall.

“We will now vote on whether to grant the White Order’s request.”

The mages and witches each drew their wands, holding them firmly. Streams of light emerged from their wands, slowly converging toward the scale.

Erfa watched the scene unfold with a tense expression.

Please.

She had always tried to be kind to everyone.

No matter how she thought about it, she had done nothing to antagonize her fellow mages and witches in the Magic Tower.

Not everyone could be like Tudel.

Not everyone would be consumed by jealousy and seek to cast her aside.

Erfa wanted to believe that.

“The voting is complete. We will now tally the results.”

The scale began to tip slowly.

Erfa could only watch as the balance shifted. A single tear slid down her cheek without her realizing it.

“Out of seventy-seven votes... fifty-six are in favor of granting the White Order’s request to investigate the Mars branch.”

Yorgren announced the verdict with a voice that carried the weight of defeat.

It was the moment when Erfa, who had just tasted the bliss of heaven, was cast down into hell.