Chapter 102
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 102
Chapter Title: Wow, Rewards Are Pouring In! (2)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"What in the world is with a check like this..."
Zekiel muttered in disbelief. His face was full of concern, but the clerk interpreted it as humility.
"Hahaha! No need to be so modest. You more than deserve it!"
"That's not..."
Zekiel trailed off mid-sentence. It wasn't something he could just blurt out to anyone anyway.
So he simply let out a sigh and dragged a hand down his face.
The time check.
It felt like a time bomb clutched in his palm. The problem was there was no way to defuse it, and it had to go off at least once.
He asked the clerk once more.
"No matter how I use this time check, it gets reported to all the princesses?"
"Yes. That's the condition for issuing this one. Nothing we can do about it."
"What about the 2nd Princess's will?"
The clerk smiled brightly.
"The 2nd Princess was the most enthusiastic supporter, which is why it's being delivered like this."
"..."
The reason for her enthusiasm was obvious. She must have been brimming with confidence that she'd be the one chosen.
Zekiel quietly pulled out a single Sunweed. One line from his conversation with Hedera stuck out in his mind.
─Inspector, once this outing is over, you have to give me an answer.
'Forcing it like this.'
Not content with just making him use the check on her, she was planning to flaunt it to all the other princesses too.
Fine, he got the sentiment, but...
'The other princesses won't just sit idly by.'
It might start with one check, but it would surely end in disaster. Zekiel tried to imagine the fallout.
...He stopped short. Out of fear.
For now, asking the clerk one thing was his best bet.
"I can take my time using this check, right?"
"Of course."
That was reassuring.
His deal with the emperor, his duties as the Magic Tower's inspector... Zekiel was busy. He could milk the excuse of no time for quite a while.
Yeah, that's what he thought.
"Just use it within the week."
"...This week?"
There really was no escaping it.
The next day.
The tower mages headed straight for the imperial capital, but Zekiel's group scoured the edge of the Black Territory.
Stealing secret techniques.
That was the reason—they were tracking the Black Tower Lord's whereabouts to qualify for the Sun Liquid.
"Whoa... This is amazing..."
"Incredible. Five hours with a princess...?"
Seina, Teder, and Anes were traveling with Zekiel, all marveling at his time check.
"I want to take a closer look!"
"Oh? Why are you gripping it so tightly?"
Zekiel watched the scene quietly, thinking to himself.
'What if they accidentally rip it?'
But he knew it was a foolish thought.
'...Yeah, it wouldn't change anything anyway.'
If the check got torn, would the issuance be canceled? No way. They'd just issue an indestructible steel version.
Seina's eyes sparkled as she spoke.
"To think you can even get something like this from the imperial family. As expected of my master, the treasure of all freezing mages. Congratulations!"
"...Thanks."
"Hm? You don't look happy."
Zekiel waved it off lightly, as if to say not to worry.
Instead, he asked something else.
"You didn't have to come along."
"Aw, it's a good opportunity! Let's go together."
Seina was purely good-hearted, without a single rough edge. She'd volunteered to join the outing, and she wasn't asking for a cut of the credit or anything.
Anes and Teder watched the two in astonishment.
"...You've really taken an elder from the Azure Tower as your disciple. What a shock."
"Tell me about it."
How long had they walked in that atmosphere? Before long, they reached the entrance to the Thorn Forest.
A place filled with trees jutting out like sharp black thorns, without a single leaf. The Black Tower Lord was definitely here.
Teder blinked.
"So, we're supposed to search this entire Thorn Forest to find the Black Tower Lord?"
"Yeah."
"I thought it'd be easy since the scroll specified the Thorn Forest, but I didn't expect it to be this vast and eerie..."
Seina chimed in from the side.
"It's huge, but we can't just wander around scattered. The demonic energy here is incredibly thick. Demons could pop out anytime."
"No need to go into the Thorn Forest."
Zekiel cut them off curtly.
He simply knelt on one knee and placed a palm on the ground. He was focusing his mind.
"Anes."
"Yes?"
"The Black Tower Lord—is she definitely here?"
"According to the intel, yes."
"Good."
Zekiel nodded quietly.
Suuup—
He drew in a long breath.
"Freeze."
Greta was born a witch.
Until recently, she'd held the position of Black Tower Lord, but not anymore. Now she just wore a pitch-black robe and a large pointed hat. And atop it, a frog.
Lately, she often reflected on how she'd ended up in this situation.
The biggest reason was Teddy Divine. She'd just been swept up in his greed and ambition—no other crime on her part.
But even so, Greta examined herself. Her generous nature led her to seek the cause within.
"The problem started when I left the forest as a witch in the first place. Black Tower this, that..."
Croak—
She was in the heart of the Thorn Forest.
A place deemed utterly eerie, but for Greta, who was born and raised here, it was the most comfortable spot imaginable.
The scenery in her view was serene.
A crackling bonfire, a bubbling cauldron, a magic-built cabin nearby, and lots of frogs... Perfect.
Yes, this was enough for a witch.
As she slowly closed her eyelids.
Croak, croak croak.
A frog hopped up and splatted onto Greta's face.
"...Gah."
Greta peeled the frog off with her hand and opened her eyes. The frog had gathered a bunch of grass and fruits.
"These are pretty good for the body, huh."
Croak croak.
"I appreciate the thought, but I'm fine. This isn't something herbs and fruits can heal."
To master the secret techniques for the Black Tower's legacy, Greta had even drawn on her own life force.
Her body wouldn't recover from mere herbs and fruits. Maybe an elixir, but...
"I wish I could make an ice waterfall just once. I'd love to set one up to show off."
Croak...
The frog stirring the cauldron shook its head. Still a failure, it meant.
Greta knew it well herself. How could she, with no talent in freezing magic, create an ice waterfall?
Not even the Azure Tower could manage it easily.
It was just stubbornness, sheer pigheadedness.
Croak croak! Croak croak!
The frogs croaked urgently then. Greta's face hardened slightly.
"...The forest keeper's here."
A figure approached with heavy steps. Its beggar-like appearance was ragged.
Thorn branches crowned its head like a wreath, and it leaned on a long wooden stump like a staff—that's what stood out first.
The Thorn Forest's keeper.
Also called the Thorn Tree Bird. Wherever it settled, the ground turned to thorns.
It wasn't a happy reunion for Greta. With her current depleted energy, she couldn't handle it.
"I thought I sensed someone. Sister Greta, you've returned. What of the Black Tower?"
"Some business came up. But..."
Greta quietly stepped back.
"You're not just here to welcome me with open arms."
"Don't say that! I'm thrilled to see you, sister. It's just that my way of welcoming has changed a bit."
The forest keeper grinned.
"...Changed?"
"You were once a lofty witch, a powerhouse anyone would acknowledge. Back then, it was natural to welcome you as the forest's master."
"And now?"
"Now you look pretty worn out. So we're welcoming you as fertilizer for the Thorn Forest. Got it?"
Shh shh— Shh shh—
Some thorn trees slowly lowered their branches. Like ropes ready to bind Greta's limbs and neck.
'This is bad.'
Her remaining energy was nil, her body exhausted.
It was the worst for Greta.
Croak...! Croak...!
As the frogs cried pitifully.
Tsutsutsutsutsu—!
Tsutsutsutsutsu—!
Suddenly, a sound like a fierce gust hit her ears. But it wasn't wind. It felt chillier.
"What an annoying noise..."
The forest keeper's words didn't finish.
The next moment.
"...!"
Shwaaaaaaaa—!
What happened before Greta was utterly shocking.
Crackkk—!
She hadn't even seen the freezing process, but the entire Thorn Forest ahead was iced over. The forest keeper was just a block of ice.
'...Me and the frogs are fine, though.'
Greta found that puzzling.
Tok.
As she tapped the frozen forest keeper's forehead with her fingertip.
Shhh—!
An ice path rapidly unfurled before her. Something was charging toward her at tremendous speed.