Reincarnated as The SSS-Rank Villain Magus: My Arcana Evolution System

Chapter 44. The Mad Magus Arrives in Style

The first thing I noticed was the silence.

Not complete silence, of course. The palace courtyard was filled with arriving carriages, servants calling instructions, horses stamping their hooves, and nobles exchanging the sort of polite greetings that probably concealed three generations of mutual hatred.

But as our shadow passed over the entrance?

Conversations faltered.

Heads tilted upward.

A few people pointed.

Then someone shouted.

”Something’s coming!”

Ah, the welcoming committee.

I looked down from my position beside the carriage.

Several palace guards had already moved into formation. Some reached for their swords, while others raised their shields and stared at the enormous Cloudcrest Rocs pulling a crystal carriage through the sky.

One official dropped his documents.

Another simply stood there with his mouth open.

Wonderful.

We’d been here for approximately seven seconds, and I’d already caused an administrative incident.

I raised one hand and adjusted the Voidwind currents beneath the carriage.

Slowly.

Carefully.

The Rocs reduced their speed as we descended toward the designated arrival courtyard.

I kept my Abyssal Eye focused on the reinforcement formations.

Suspension stable.

Harness tension normal.

Air-pressure barrier intact.

The carriage lowered another few meters.

A guard shouted for everyone to stand back.

Several nobles hurried away from the landing area, gathering their expensive clothing as though the carriage might suddenly develop a personal grudge against them.

Honestly, fair.

I’d seen magical experiments do worse.

The wheels approached the ground.

One meter.

Half a meter.

Then...

-Thump!

A perfectly smooth landing.

I allowed myself a small smile.

The first proper journey had been a success.

More importantly, my wives were safe.

That was worth considerably more than the stunned expressions surrounding us.

Although those were a delightful bonus.

Lily descended first.

Naturally.

My fairy princess had recovered from her earlier... aerial malfunction.

And apparently, she was determined to ensure nobody remembered her as the woman whose wings had stopped working because her husband had licked cake crumbs off her fingers.

She floated down gracefully, her dress fluttering around her as her delicate wings caught the sunlight.

I almost applauded.

Then Seris descended beside her.

Her crimson wings spread in a magnificent arc before folding neatly behind her back.

The guards stared.

The nobles stared.

One particularly unfortunate young official nearly walked into a pillar.

Understandable.

My phoenix princess looked devastating.

And judging by the slight lift of her chin, she knew it.

I remained airborne for a few more moments.

One final inspection.

Only then did I descend.

Voidwind gathered beneath my feet, slowing my fall until my boots touched the courtyard stones.

My magus coat settled around me.

I straightened.

And found myself facing approximately thirty people who appeared to have forgotten how breathing worked.

This was awkward.

For them.

Not me.

One official finally recovered enough to approach. ”L-Lord Rey!” He bowed so quickly I was briefly concerned about his neck. ”Welcome to the palace!”

I nodded. ”Thank you.”

He remained bent forward.

I waited.

He straightened.

Then glanced at the carriage.

Then at me.

Then back at the carriage.

His expression suggested he had several hundred questions and absolutely no intention of asking any of them.

A wise man.

I stepped toward the carriage door.

Behind me, the courtyard remained suspiciously quiet.

Perhaps they were shocked by the flying carriage.

Perhaps they hadn’t expected me to attend.

Or perhaps they were wondering why a supposedly dying, completely insane Royal Magus looked like he’d just returned from an extremely pleasant vacation.

All reasonable possibilities.

I opened the carriage door.

And the situation became considerably worse.

For their composure, anyway.

Ariel stepped down first.

She accepted my hand, her pale gown flowing elegantly around her as she emerged into the sunlight.

Several people nearby made strange noises.

I chose not to investigate.

Liora followed.

My Crystal Elf Princess descended with quiet confidence, her jewelry catching the light in subtle flashes.

She carried herself with the effortless dignity of someone who could calculate the value of the entire courtyard without needing to look at the accounting records.

Then...

Nia.

My fox princess stepped out of the carriage like she’d been waiting her entire life for this exact moment.

Her tail swayed.

Her smile was radiant.