We decided to hold a public magic demonstration in front of all the territoryâs people.
My goal was, of course, pure intimidation through overwhelming power.
âAnd while Iâm at it, Iâll show the vassals just how amazing a mage Iâve become.â
In our family, the vassalsâ influence is considerable. Theyâre seasoned mages themselves and have helped govern the territory for decades.
Having served my father their whole lives, neither my brother nor I can match their experience.
Their reputation and trust among the people are rock-solid.
To be acknowledged as lord and to rule smoothly afterward, their cooperation is essential.
In other words, their support makes becoming lord far easier.
And the lord they want is, without question, one with outstanding magical talent.
Territory management matters, but the Mars familyâs identity is magic. Raising the familyâs magical prestige is the top priority.
In that sense, Iâwho have learned witch magicâhave a massive advantage now.
Truthfully, the vassals originally supported me, the genius.
If our parents hadnât died suddenly, and if I hadnât been sold off as the great witchâs husband, they wouldâve kept backing me.
Actually, even now most of them still quietly favor me.
Theyâve simply given up because Dale already sits in the lordâs seat and they assumed Iâd return to the witch lands forever.
âThis demonstration will shatter that perception completely.â
Overwhelming magical talent and skill!
Those two things are enough to override every disadvantage and make them rally behind me.
If I show I actually want the lordship, the vassals will welcome me with open arms.
"...So what exactly do I need to do?"
Medea, standing beside me, asked.
Anyway, thatâs why my harem girls and I came out for the magic demonstration.
Circe, Medea, Diana, and Morgan clustered around me.
Weâd borrowed a large open field so we could use big spells freely.
Even though we hadnât called them, the townspeople had already gathered in droves to watch.
Most were probably here to gawk at my womenâs beauty.
Non-humans are rare, but beauties like these inevitably draw crowds.
The more spectators the betterâword would spread faster and the impression would be stronger. Perfect.
"Just casually show some magic. Nothing to be nervous about."
"Karl, if this is for your plan, donât we need something flashy? Is this space really enough?"
Circe, standing beside me, asked. She looked a little thoughtful, but since the topic was magic she seemed relaxed.
"...Itâs fine. From a human perspective anything witch magic does is amazing. Just use it lightly."
"Mmm, got it."
Circe nodded quietly.
Weâd prepared what we thought was a pretty big stage, but to Circe it must still look tiny.
âWell, sheâs the one who casually shoots massive pillars of fire.â
I still remember the fire magic Circe used to annihilate those orcs on day one.
That gorgeous yet perfectly refined spell left an unforgettable impression.
The magic she called "quick because it was an emergency" was already that insane.
If she seriously tried to show off, it would be apocalyptic.
As expected, the great witch is on another level.
"...Exactly how high is the magic level here?"
Medea, arms crossed and thinking, asked. She clearly intended to fully support my plan.
"Hmm, if someone showed half the skill I had when I first met you, theyâd be considered pretty decent here. The current lord is far below even that."
"...Definitely a low level."
Medea answered without any excitement.
...Did she just indirectly diss me too? Probably my imagination.
After seeing real witch magic, I can understand why humans look like insects to them.
"Understood. I donât want to waste Lady Circeâs time on some backwater show, but we canât exactly be looked down on either."
Medea lightly extended her palm.
Ice sprang up in front of her and rapidly spread forward.
It formed a neat waist-high barrier before stopping.
Ice magic so clean it naturally drew gasps.
"M-My god! That much ice magic with no water source!"
"And with just a simple gesture, no preparation!"
"W-Was that lady just a secretary? Even a witch secretary can use magic like that?!"
Shock and awe rippled through the crowd.
The trained vassal mages reacted even more strongly.
The better you understand something, the more you realize how incredible it is.
To real mages, the sheer impossibility was obvious.
Instantly manifesting that much mana.
Converting it into iceâone of the hardest elements to control.
I can confidently say no one in this territory except me could do it.
Thatâs how insane witch magic is.
"Hah! Even I canât believe my own eyes."
"No wonder the witch clan is called the greatest mages."
Everyone was busy marveling at or studying Medeaâs ice.
Some even pointed and shouted openly.
From a human perspective, it was that astonishing.
"...Hmph."
Hearing the cheers, Medeaâs ears twitched and she puffed out her chest a little.
"Youâre totally enjoying that reaction, arenât you?"
"What are you talking about? I feel nothing of the sort."
"Sure, sure. Itâs written all over your face."
"...Shut up. Just because youâre good at sex doesnât mean you know everything about a woman. Thatâs arrogant."
"Yes maâam. Sorry maâam."
"Hngh!"
I sneakily groped her ass where no one could see.
Medea glared at me but couldnât say anything loud enough to be noticed.
âShe just keeps getting cuter. Maybe because sheâs more honest now that she knows sex.â
She denied it, but her good mood was obvious.
Medea had always been weak to praise.
She clearly didnât hate this kind of reaction.
"Ah, I see. So this is the vibe."
Watching Medeaâs spell and the crowdâs reaction, Circe nodded as if she finally got the level.
"Then Iâll go like this..."
Circe waved her hand lightly and blue flames flickered into existence in mid-air.
Several flames floated gently around her.
"Ooh! Maintaining that many high-reactivity fire spells at once!"
One mage exclaimed, but it was still too early to be impressed.
It was already amazing, but to Circe this was the equivalent of opening a book.
With an elegant snap of her fingersâ
No strain, no visible mana gathering.
She looked like she was simply humming a song.
Yet the result was anything but simple.
Whooshâ!
The flames flared brighter and took shape.
Soon they transformed into little birds that flew around Circe.
"Wow, so pretty!"
"O-Oh..."
"W-What in the world...?"
Even regular people stared in awe at the beautiful, mystical sight.
The shocked mages couldnât even speak properly.
Circeâs magic was mysterious, elegant, and completely beyond comprehension.
Every mage here must have felt the foundations of everything theyâd built over a lifetime crumbling.
âFire magic is already notoriously hard to stabilize. Giving it a concrete animal shape? Thatâs just absurd.â
No one here could even guess the spell formula.
Hell, most had never imagined it was possible.
It wasnât just realizing something theoretically possible.
With human magical knowledge, this was flat-out impossible.
Not "I know the theory but my body canât keep up."
It was like a human flying or turning water into wineâa miracle beyond comprehension.
"Now, fly freely, little ones."
Circe performed that miracle without batting an eye.
She simply waved lightly and gave the command.
The flame birds began flying among the crowd.
Children laughed and pointed excitedly.
Adults vaguely sensed the grandeur and gasped.
Mages felt outright terror at the impossibility.
This was great witch magic.
The witch clan that devoted centuries solely to magical research.
And at its very peakâthe worldâs greatest mage.
âAnd also my wife.â
After releasing the flame birds, Circe looked at me and smiled brightly.
Like a child asking, "Did I do good?"
The gap between that adorable expression and the insane magic made me chuckle.
I smiled and gently patted her head.
"Howâs that? Satisfied?"
"More than I expected."
It was truly tasteful magic.
If sheâd just shown raw power, people would think "witches are amazing."
But this single spell proved an entirely different class and dimension.
âAnd that bastard must be pounding the ground in regret right about now.â
I casually checked Daleâs reaction.
As expected of a mage family, he understood exactly how insane it was.
His jaw hung open in shock, unable to close.
âLooks like everythingâs going perfectly according to plan.â
Iâd firmly seized the initiative against the lord.
The vassals would now support me even more after witnessing this overwhelming magic.
All that was left was to train that lewd-breasted, lewd-assed sister-in-law and her daughter who were currently seducing me with their bodies.