Chapter 107
Translator: penny
Chapter: 107
Chapter Title: First Wedding Night(?) (1)
‘That’s Sunwater.’
A spiritual treasure whose existence had long been doubted by the world.
It had to be something extraordinary, given how desperately Zekiel had strived for it—and it seemed to live up to the hype. Just a few drops were enough to make even him feel the heat.
“Let’s start by reviewing your accomplishments.”
Zekiel drew the disc from within his robes, and an inexplicable telekinetic force lifted it into the air above the throne.
A moment later, the Emperor spoke.
“It seems you desired this Sunwater quite fervently.”
There was a subtle amusement in his voice.
“I thought it an outrageous bargain at the time, yet here you are, returning without a single flaw in your fulfillment of it. Your longing for the Sunwater truly shines through.”
“If I was too blatant about it, I apologize.”
“No need to apologize. It’s a welcome outcome for me as well.”
The grail hovering in the air rippled gently.
“One cannot utter falsehoods from the Emperor’s throne. I shall grant you what was promised.”
Finally, at long last, the Sunwater was descending.
Zekiel took a deep breath, something he hadn’t done in ages. Even that wasn’t enough to calm his racing heart.
“Zekiel, I commend you on three accounts.”
The Emperor continued, though Zekiel’s ears barely registered the words clearly. In truth, all he could think about was how quickly this conversation might end.
His desire for the Sunwater was simply that intense.
“Fulfilling all five conditions to the letter, upholding the Imperial Family’s honor during this expedition, and securing the Black Tower’s secret techniques intact.”
The disc spun lazily in the air.
“In particular, this ‘taxidermy’ technique you brought from the Black Tower intrigues me greatly. It has so many potential applications.”
“I’m glad you approve.”
The Emperor was remarkably fair today.
He neither downplayed nor omitted any of Zekiel’s feats; instead, he addressed them point by point.
Perhaps because this outing had been a transaction, not a mere mission.
It was then that the hem of the Emperor’s ceremonial robes stirred.
In the next instant, something utterly bizarre occurred.
All the heat haze within the audience chamber began swirling into the Emperor’s sleeve. For this to be caused by just a single drop—it felt utterly unreal.
“This must be what you desired so badly.”
Whoosh—!
Roooar….
The air inside the audience chamber vibrated as if it were aflame. Any ordinary human standing there would surely have suffered burns.
“Sunwater, is it.”
Atop the Emperor’s robes gleamed something like sunlight made liquid lava. It flowed like a fluid yet held the firmness of a solid.
“...”
Zekiel contemplated it in silence.
Suddenly, a gust of scorching wind emanated from one of the Sunwater droplets, brushing past him. It was the most intense heat he had ever felt in his life.
Roooar—
Even the way the Sunwater droplet blazed was mystical. It was a sight that never grew tiresome, no matter how long one stared.
Just looking at it filled his eyes with a burning sensation.
He finally understood why no other elixir could compare to Sunwater. From its appearance to its aura, it was something out of this world.
“I occasionally take interest in continental rumors. Some doubt Sunwater’s very existence, while others hail it as a panacea.”
The Emperor murmured.
“Not a single tale rings true. Sunweed isn’t something you can simply lump in with elixirs or herbs to begin with.”
“Then what exactly is this Sunwater…?”
“Those who haven’t experienced it cannot comprehend.”
It was then that the Sunwater droplet took on the faint form of a tiny spirit. It stepped onto the air with two little feet and tottered toward Zekiel, one step at a time.
Incredible. Truly not of this world.
“Experience it with your body once.”
As Zekiel quietly parted his lips, the Emperor clicked his tongue, as if that weren’t the way.
“Not by mouth. Feel it with your heart.”
Outworld Treasure.
Those words made it clear: Sunwater was a treasure unbound by the laws of this realm. A item whose very method of acquisition was the stuff of legends—a thing without reason.
‘Something absorbed through the heart…’
Zekiel recalled something he’d heard during a past mission.
—Captain, do you know of elixirs absorbed through the heart?
—What’s that supposed to be?
—They say that to forcibly transfer the life force of someone who’s transcended realms, it can only be done that way. Why do you ask all of a sudden…?
And indeed, Sunwater was absorbed through the heart.
Could it be a sharing of the Emperor’s eternal life? That immense vitality, bestowed upon Zekiel?
He couldn’t dare voice such a thought aloud. It was mere speculation on his part, after all.
He could learn the truth about Sunwater in time.
For now, what mattered was that Sunwater lay before him, ripe for the taking at last.
Zekiel stood with his chest thrust wide open.
The Sunwater spirit, the size of a knuckle, awaited only the moment to step into his body.
And as it drew right up to him…
“Hm?”
Zekiel voiced his puzzlement. The spirit merely circled near him, refusing to make contact.
In the end, even the Emperor rose from his throne.
“It seems even Sunwater has never encountered a constitution like yours before. It’s curious… and hesitant.”
A faint, humanoid shape formed at the tip of the Emperor’s sleeve—like the hand of an ordinary man.
Poke.
His index finger prodded the Sunwater’s back.
The Sunwater passed lightly through Zekiel’s chest and entered his body. Straight to the heart.
And at that same moment…
His consciousness snapped away.
.
.
.
.
.
“Gasp…!”
It was some time later when Zekiel’s eyes flew open. His awareness had blanked out for a moment.
Far from dismay, he felt relief. His instincts whispered: simply being alive was a miracle.
And that was merely the beginning.
Roooaaarrrrr—!
Something ignited fiercely within his body.
It felt like being submerged in bottomless lava, a sensation that seared even his soul. Dizzying.
This wasn’t mere pain. It was a specific state of transcendence.
As if he’d plummeted into a realm where no foot could tread. An ineffable euphoria surged, awakening him fully.
His senses sharpened to the utmost.
He could almost decompose and perceive every particle of air touching his skin. To lose hold of his mind for even an instant would mean madness beyond return.
Hot. Hot. Hot….
That span felt like eternity.
Even summoning his inner chill did nothing. Just as everything within him seemed on the verge of incineration…
The Emperor intervened.
“That’s enough for now.”
With a few light taps of his index finger on Zekiel’s collapsed chest, the Sunwater spirit popped out as if waiting and flared up onto the Emperor’s shoulder.
Fsssh!
Only then did Zekiel exhale raggedly.
He tried summoning chill to quell the heat, but it wouldn’t come. His entire body felt utterly burned out.
Was there anything more disrespectful than lying spread-eagled before the Emperor? He wanted to rise, but he simply couldn’t.
Fortunately, the Emperor took no offense.
“Zekiel, it’s still no good. The child is frightened.”
Lying prone, Zekiel asked,
“...Frightened? I don’t understand.”
“Your level isn’t low by any means, but the Sunwater finds you disconcerting. Think of your body as a vast mansion for a moment.”
“I have.”
“Yours is a mansion frozen solid. Who would want to live in a place like that? Sunwater feels the same.”
“...”
To be thwarted in his ambitions by such a reason—it was a first in Zekiel’s life. He had always excelled.
“Then what was that just now?”
“The Sunwater scampered through your body, checking if it was habitable. Apparently, it deemed it wholly unsuitable.”
The 1st Princess Ether must have had perfect affinity with it, allowing her to absorb it so readily, Zekiel thought quietly.
And one more thing.
“As for the true nature of Sunwater…”
“Your guess is correct.”
The Emperor agreed without hesitation.
“Sunwater isn’t an elixir that turns the ordinary into superhumans. It turns superhumans into transcendent beings—and those transcendent ones absorb more Sunwater to grow even stronger.”
It wasn’t hard to grasp.
Sunwater didn’t exist to elevate the weak to strength. It was the springboard that forged the strong into the absolute strongest.
“Merely being able to absorb Sunwater elevates one to superhuman ranks—but only if you can absorb it. Ordinary realms can’t even manage that.”
“Is there no way for me to take it in?”
“Your case is exceptionally unique. Your level isn’t low, yet the Sunwater is too scared to enter. Hmm…”
A brief silence fell.
What if he could never incorporate the Sunwater? As that worry crept into Zekiel’s mind…
“It’s not that there’s no method at all.”
Unexpected good news rang in his ears.
“Zekiel, there is one way.”
“Ah.”
Zekiel strained to listen intently. He was in no position to be choosy about methods.
“By ingesting a diluted form of Sunwater.”
“I beg of you. I want to try it, no matter what.”
Zekiel could feel it in his body.
The heat of the Sunwater would greatly aid in mending his constitution. He had to get it inside him, by any means necessary.
“The 1st Princess has harbored Sunwater in her body since childhood. Passing it through her dilutes it once.”
“Yes.”
“Union with the 1st Princess may be the way.”
“Union…”
Zekiel murmured the word blankly.
And then silence stretched on.
Only after a long moment did Zekiel tilt his head.
“Union…?”
Union? Surely not the union he was thinking of.
He stared at the Emperor with wide eyes, but…
The Emperor confirmed it with a nod.
“Indeed. I mean the union of yin and yang.”
“...!”
Zekiel’s eyes bulged.
In other words, the Emperor was saying…
‘Sleep with her?’
Sleep with the 1st Princess Ether.