Chapter 67

[3rd POV]

It was time to begin.

"Ladies and gentlemen."

The announcer began his introduction, "Allow me to present to you the greatest magician Zatanna Zatara!"

Zatanna walked out with a smile on her face as people cheered. After doing the traditional half-bow, she began her performance.

Zatanna gave it her all, almost clichéd tricks like pulling a rabbit out of a hat and ending with making a person vanish from the room.

She worked with dedication, captivating the audience.

After half an hour, fatigue began to set in, and she decided to wrap things up.

Afterward, she handed over the "stage" to a renowned maestro from Italy.

Zatanna herself withdrew to a quieter part of the hall.

While drinking a fine wine and listening to a famous singer's calm voice, she disconnected from the outside world.

However, Zatana's keen intuition abruptly pulled her out of this trance, alerting her mind.

Three people were standing before her.

The two familiar figures were Beatrice, the Queen of Bialya and the hostess of the evening, and a red-haired beauty standing beside her.

The latter had slightly altered her appearance since Zatanna last saw her photos in the media, Pamela Isley, also known as Poison Ivy.

'It seems like she's changed, perhaps even settled down?'

Zatanna mused to herself, 'If I recall correctly, there was some Gotham police officer who made headlines. Does love really work miracles? Maybe. Could that man standing there be the cop? But what would a regular Gotham officer be doing in a place like this?'

"I am very glad to see you, Miss Zatara, in my country. Honestly, you have become the highlight in this evening."

"Your Majesty, it is an honor for me to perform in this hall. I have heard a lot about you, and most of the rumors turned out to be true."

Zatanna replied.

"And I am glad about it."

"I hope the rumors are only good?"

Beatrice smiled.

"Of course. As I've noticed, you are greatly loved by the people."

"You could say that."

She answered casually.

'There seem to be some rumors about rebels and even casualties. Also, her uncle suddenly passed away after an attempt on her life even thought the information is classified.'

Zatanna thought fleetingly, 'However, I'm not particularly interested in that. What are these two doing here?'

At that moment, Beatrice seemed to sense her companion's curiosity and shifted the conversation to a topic of interest to her.

"But enough about me. Allow me to introduce my friends, Dr. Pamela Isley and Detective Isaac Dinklage. Recently, he was knighted as Lord Dinklage."

"Oh! I think I remember something like that."

Zatanna nodded, "I heard from my acquaintances in Bialya that you were saved by some police officer from the USA. So, are you the 'handsome prince on a white horse'?"

After these words, Zatanna began to scrutinize Isaac closely.

'Tall, unusual silver eyes, fit, overall charming and brave... And mystery yet, he's quite attractive!'

Zatanna thought and bit her lip, 'I wonder what Poison Ivy specifically saw in him?'

"So, you're from Gotham, I suspect?"

She shifted her gaze to Pamela, "How did a simple detective from Gotham end up in such an exquisite and expensive place?"

"Well, that's thanks to my, let's say, gift."

Isaac grinned crookedly, "The thing is, I write music and songs. I teamed up with a friend and we started a collaborative businesss that I get a percentage. There's no need to look at me so skeptically, I'm not involved in any shady dealings."

"Hmm. I apologize. It's just quite unusual to meet people of your... profession in a place like this."

"It happens. Um, Miss Zatara, could I get an autograph?"

"Oh! I'm afraid I have to disappoint you, but I don't give autographs. For personal reasons…"

She hesitated.

'I couldn't tell him that a magician's autograph can be quite dangerous if it falls into the wrong hands.'

"That's a shame."

Zatana genuinely seemed disappointed.

At that moment, a flood of thoughts ran through Zatanna's mind about how cute he looked when he was sad.

However, she quickly dismissed these strange thoughts and continued the conversation.

"Come on, I'm not such a big celebrity."

She said, "What I truly regret is that I haven't heard the real Gotham detective sing or play."

"Then perhaps I'll offer an alternative?"

Queen Beatrice interjected.

"In a couple of hours, I plan to head to my quarters with my friends to play cards, I haven't played in a while."

For some reason, Zatanna felt a sense of danger at these words.

"Then you can join us. After a few glasses of wine, and several bottles of whiskey... because otherwise, it's impossible to get Isaac drunk. We'll be able to demand either a game or a song from him?"

"Very... tempting."

Zatara smiled, "I'll gladly accept your invitation."

While the girls were busy with each other, they didn't notice the barely perceptible mysterious smile from the only man in their company.

...

[1st POV]

The evening started quite normally at first.

By the time Zatanna's performance began, I received messages from the system about reaching level 74 and gaining 50 levels in Secret Technique: Mouth Seal Technique.

After this seal was put on them, no one in the main city of Bialya would talk about what happened, even if they knew something.

Initially, I wanted to test the technique on homeless people and criminals.

However, after searching all the city's alleys, drains, and other shady spots, I found only three homeless people here.

This raised questions about the government of my country.

Why the hell are there so many homeless and poor people in our country, yet they can't be found here?

I had to break into the prison and practice on the prisoners.

After that, I divided the city into several districts, and from midnight until morning, I created a dozen clones and sent them to apply the seal to people's minds.

They would dissipate, giving me more experience and skill, and I would create new clones.

This continued almost until the evening, and once again, I repeat, it lasted until Zatanna's performance.

The "mission" was completed, and I could now fully focus on this particular individual.

As we made our way upstairs, I glanced at the information about her:

Name: Zatanna "Mistress of Magic, Princess of Magic, Primak, Zorina, Sorceress Supreme

Level: 48

Race: Half human, half "Homo magi"

Class: Mage

Subclass: -

Specialty: Mage, Heir to the Zatara family

Age: 26

Attributes: See details.

While I would have preferred to invite her to my place, she agreed to her spontaneous invitation during the conversation with Beatrice.

I wasn't against it because the card game would play to my advantage.

To be continued...

...

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