Chapter 80: The Birthday Banquet Begins
His Majesty the Emperor is about to hold a birthday banquet.
It's the kind of event that, depending on your perspective, could be seen as momentous or trivial.
In an age when information spreads slowly, most people care more about whether their neighbor ate a few extra bowls of rice today or where they're going to hang out after work, rather than about any grand royal celebrations.
In the Southern Region, where entire communities buzz with discussions about movies, you can go to any town and find film enthusiasts who quickly get acquainted over their shared interests.
It's practically a revolution in social interaction.
Before this, most conversations were people talking past each other about their own lives, and in taverns, the usual talk was limited to work-related gossip and exaggerated tales.
But now, the main topics in Southern taverns are movies, particularly KonoSuba: God's Blessing on This Wonderful World and Goblin Slayer.
People with free time after work gather to discuss plot twists, often arguing about the characters' combat abilities in both films.
Although there's no internet in this world, fans have started to form a primitive version of "keyboard warriors."
Unlike the real world, however, these "warriors" often settle their disputes with real-life duels in the street.
Besides plot discussions, fans are abuzz with speculation over the director's next film. They wonder if KonoSuba: God's Blessing on This Wonderful World will have a sequel, whether Goblin Slayer will continue, and if characters from both films could ever appear in a crossover.
Simply put, people are bored and looking for entertainment. In a world with magic, food security has never been a major issue, so people don't need to worry about where their next meal is coming from.
Entertainment like cinema is thus an inevitable development.
And, of course, Edward's invention of cinema represents a leap across multiple eras.
So, given all this, it doesn't matter much if the Emperor's having a birthday or even if he were to pass away; most people would just go about their lives, especially those outside the capital.
The common folk, and even the nobility in remote regions who don't have access to teleportation circles, might be unaware of the event entirely.
In this context, only a few privileged individuals who benefit from magical conveniences are busy preparing for the upcoming birthday banquet and making their way to the capital on the day of the event.
Today is His Majesty's birthday banquet.
According to Master Hohenheim's instructions, Edward was supposed to attend as the Mage Tower's representative to offer a gift and deliver his best wishes to the Emperor.
However, Edward is nowhere to be seen.
Instead, his role has been taken up by Ska, the Alchemy Tower's master, who is now nervously attending his first noble banquet.
Although he and Edward had gone over the plan beforehand, Ska couldn't help feeling anxious when the moment arrived.
Most mages are uninterested in these gatherings, with the top magicians in the Mage Tower preferring to spend their time on research instead.
As a result, the Mage Tower's representative at the birthday banquet is often seen as a scapegoat.
In previous years, before Edward was chosen for the role, Master Hohenheim would summon the magicians and draw lots to select one unlucky person.
When Edward decided to pass the responsibility to Ska, Master Hohenheim didn't object and handed over the invitation without a word, promptly returning to his research on magical alchemy fundamentals.
His willingness to change fields at his age shows just how much he values Edward's innovations.
taking a deep breath, Ska stepped out of the capital's teleportation circle and found himself looking at the imperial castle in the distance.
The centuries-old castle rose impressively toward the sky, radiating an aura of ancient grandeur that commanded respect from all who approached.
The reason was obvious: this castle was the very fortress that had held back the allied forces of foreign races all those years ago.
The scars on its walls bore witness to the passage of time, giving the structure a weighty, resilient look.
A high flagpole proudly displayed the Hubbard royal family's banner, a symbol of the human empire founded and sustained for centuries by the Hubbard dynasty.
At this moment, even Ska, who rarely cared about anything beyond alchemy, couldn't help but feel moved by the castle's historical significance.
Collecting himself, he tightly clutched the briefcase he carried, making his way to the castle's front gate.
He respectfully addressed the guards, saying, "I am Ska, the Mage Tower's representative for the birthday banquet. Here is my invitation."
"Very well," replied the guard.
With so many people entering and leaving the castle today, Ska was admitted without any hassle. taking a moment to adjust his appearance, he checked his robes, which he'd thoroughly cleaned to remove years of stains so as not to embarrass the Mage Tower.
But in truth, the senior magicians of the Mage Tower wouldn't have cared in the slightest; to them, the Mage Tower's reputation was hardly the concern of an ordinary mage like Ska.
When Ska finally followed the attendants into the castle's interior, he realized that all his efforts over the past few days had been in vain.
Even after washing his robes and scrubbing himself until he was practically sparkling, he still looked like a pauper among nobles dressed in lavish attire.
He couldn't control the urge to turn and flee, deeply regretting that he had agreed to stand in for Edward at this banquet.
He finally understood the expressions on his fellow mages' faces when they heard he would be taking Edward's place at the banquet.
For the reclusive magicians of the Mage Tower, events like this felt like torture.
To succeed as a mage in this world, dedication was required on par with that of scientific researchers in another world.
Many nobles who began studying magic would only reach the apprentice or intermediate levels before abandoning their studies to inherit family estates, unless they were truly passionate about magic.
For the few who pursued the art for life, magic offered great rewards but at the cost of limited social skills.
As a result, high-ranking magicians rarely attended noble gatherings.
Ska quickly saw that with the banquet preparations underway, he was too late to leave, so he resigned himself to finding a quiet corner with his briefcase, trying to blend in as if he were just another servant.
Even though he tried not to stand out, some nobles noticed him—a nervous, out-of-place mage.
Normally, the Mage Tower would send high-ranking magicians to represent them at royal gatherings, people who commanded respect and attention. But hearing that the representative this time was only an intermediate-level mage, many of the nobles regarded Ska with open disdain.
To them, respect was reserved for those who could provide real benefits.
If he had been a renowned senior mage, they might have taken notice, but an intermediate mage with an Alchemy Tower title was hardly worth their time.
Alchemy? Could alchemy cast fifth-level spells?
With these dismissive attitudes, no one approached Ska.
Behind his back, some nobles laughed at him, only restraining themselves out of respect for the Mage Tower.
Ska, though socially inexperienced, could sense the contempt, and he understood that if Edward were in his place, the reception would be very different.
A fire ignited within him as he thought back to a previous time when his brother's cherished Alchemy Tower had nearly fallen apart due to his incompetence.
Edward had put his career on the line to help save it, while Ska had done nothing. But would he wait around for someone else to save him again?
Ska gripped his briefcase more tightly, and just as he did, the herald's voice rang out, drawing the hall's attention.
The royal family members began offering birthday greetings to the elderly Emperor Hubbard, and the banquet was finally underway.
Unlike the efficient, to-the-point Mage Tower meetings, noble banquets were long-winded affairs, with opening remarks and diplomatic pleasantries.
Ska, missing the Mage Tower's straightforward atmosphere, slipped into a meditative state.
Time passed until, at last, the main event—gift presentations—began.
Longfellow, an intermediate mage who had graduated from the Mage Tower, was one of the first called to present a gift.
As the family representative, he was extremely nervous, knowing this was an opportunity for his family to make an impression on the Emperor.
He offered a unique Sound-Recording Crystal he had procured from the Dwarven Kingdom.
But to his dismay, the Emperor barely glanced at it before accepting it with a polite smile, signaling the end of Longfellow's hopes for distinction.
Resigned, Longfellow left the stage and noticed Ska standing off to the side with his briefcase, wondering why a mere intermediate mage from the Mage Tower had been chosen as their representative.
At that moment, the herald called for the Mage Tower's gift.
Ska, with a deep breath, walked forward under the amused eyes of the nobles.
He had seen an array of treasures presented already, but the Emperor's responses were predictably polite, saving his genuine smiles for small gifts from his grandchildren and a simple item from a general.
When Ska reached the Emperor, he calmly opened his briefcase, revealing a device.
As an image slowly projected onto the far wall, Ska addressed the Emperor, "Before presenting the real gift, I'd like to share something with you—a moving picture called a movie. With your permission, Your Majesty?"
<+>
If you want to see more chapter of this story and don't mind spending $5 each month to read the latest update, please go to my
Curent Chapter In Patreon:
Link to the current chapter: