THHAAWMF

Chapter 104

***

Elda, the Queen's favorite handmaiden, was currently at Luminous' banquet. She had been sent by the Queen to sneak in and see who was there.

With that vow, Elda entered the banquet hall, masked.

And then.

"...!"

The moment she stepped into the ballroom, her mouth dropped open.

Where the ceiling should have been, there was an azure sky. The floor, which should have been marble, was lined with luscious greenery.

Butterflies that must have been illusory fluttered about in iridescent dust, and white deer scampered about.

She felt like she was in a fairy forest instead of a banquet hall. What the hell is going on? 'There is a limit to the magic that can be contained in a scroll,' she remembered Luminous' announcement.

'It can never contain higher magic.'

But the sight before her now was staggering, even to her magical ignorance.

As if the wizards of the Tower of Magic were in charge.

'Ridiculous.'

Elda bit her lip. Yes, it was a ridiculous idea.

Even if they did release the scrolls, there was no way they would be able to connect with the famously prideful Magic Tower, which ignored all communications from the imperial court!

"Welcome. Do you have your lottery ticket?"

As she stood trembling, Leather, disguised as a servant, approached her.

"Uh, uh, yes. Here-"

Flustered, Elda reached into her pouch and, trying to look like an ordinary customer, pulled out the lottery ticket she had purchased and held it out to him.

After checking the numbers, Leather bowed.

"Thank you. Have fun."

He walked away at a brisk pace, and Elda felt a little nervous. He thought he was going to give directions, but why was he just walking away?

Then she realized she had to look normal, so she accepted a goblet of wine from a passing servant nearby.

She dare not violate the Queen's orders, and she intended to see with her own two eyes who was here.

However.

"To the ladies and gentlemen who have traveled this far, I would like to express my sincere gratitude."

Suddenly, a booming voice erupted from the front of the room. It was the start of the lottery draw.

"Oooh!"

"Finally!"

People excited about the 6 billion swarmed to the front of the room, which, despite its small size, was quickly filled to capacity.

Elisa, who hadn't managed to dodge and was caught in the middle, panicked. In this way, she couldn't see who was who!

"G-get out of the way! Get out of the way!"

But the money-grubbing crowd ignored Elda's cries; they held their breath at every word of Leather, who presided over the proceedings with a beastly glint in his eye.

Leather, who was using an amplification tool to raise his voice, bellowed.

''Today's gathering is a very important one. For it marks the official start of the sponsorship business that the merchant group has been conducting, as well as the first official release of the scrolls unearthed through the sponsorship business.''