Chapter 113
Translator: penny
Chapter: 113
Chapter Title: First Wedding Night(?) (7)
The conversation between the Emperor and Zekiel resumed.
"Double the gold coins, then."
"No need."
"Maybe triple."
"Not interested."
"…."
Verd was the master of the Imperial Palace, holding the exalted position of Emperor. No matter how crucial Zekiel was as the key to his plans, he couldn't just be dragged around at whim.
The Emperor casually swirled the chalice.
He seemed to have come with serious intent, and the Emperor was equally determined to treat this gravely.
"Don't mistake the audience chamber for a pawnshop. There are limits to what I can hand over right now. If we settle on a fixed amount of gold coins, I can pay it out gradually…."
"Sun Dew."
"…?"
"I want Sun Dew. That's all I need."
The Emperor was momentarily at a loss for words.
To so casually mention Sun Dew was shocking in itself. Even when the Emperor personally sought it, he could only obtain a few drops a month.
But what was even more astonishing…
'He's starting to grasp his own value precisely.'
The Emperor had vaguely pondered Zekiel's worth inwardly, and here he was, naming it exactly.
He had no choice but to provide it.
Zekiel's blue eyes gleamed from his face, his entire body radiating a resolute determination to secure it no matter what.
"Hey… Zekiel."
His long robe swept through the air.
The Emperor had brushed my face with his hand.
"I handed over my entire stock of Sun Dew to the 1st Princess. I have none to give right now."
"I know."
"Hm?"
"How could I not know that Sun Dew is the most precious thing of all? Even Your Majesty must find it hard to obtain."
"Indeed. Your understanding is correct."
"But I have a plan in mind."
"A plan, you say? What is it?"
Zekiel answered confidently.
"Just one drop a month. Surely you can grant me a total of two drops that way."
"…."
"It's a very simple method, I believe."
Simple. Incredibly simple.
…Did he think I hadn't considered that?
The Emperor wasn't oblivious to it either.
"Newly rich fools easily forget the value of gold coins. You're the same, Zekiel. Have you already forgotten the worth of Sun Dew after just one taste?"
"I know it's precious. But I'm precious too."
"…Hm."
True enough. It wasn't wrong.
Still, the Emperor shook his head. Beyond value, he worried Zekiel was picking up bad habits.
"Let go of your obsession with Sun Dew. It's no exaggeration to call it the most precious thing in the world. Demanding it for every little thing? No."
At least he wasn't spouting falsehoods.
Sun Dew. The sacred liquid promising eternal life was indeed the most precious of all.
"Then there's no helping it."
Zekiel turned to step out the door.
"That same childish tantrum from before won't work."
The Emperor muttered while fiddling with the apple's surface.
Zekiel, who had always been like a doll, was showing an unexpected attitude, which felt odd at first, but he'd grown accustomed. After all, the Emperor was the one who held this continent in his grasp.
There was no reason to lose his composure.
"Planning to write a will and die? You'd inflict a massive wound on the princesses—utterly irresponsible. Selfish to the core."
"I'm not going to find a scribe."
The Emperor tilted his head slightly.
"Then where are you headed?"
"I'll wander the world, drifting to places hard to track. I've always been a drifter by nature."
"Wandering all of a sudden?"
"With my life on a timer, even if they see me die, it might shock the princesses too much. Better if I vanish without a trace and meet my end quietly."
"…."
The Emperor's hand tightened around the apple.
"…Vanish without a trace?"
"Yes. You called me selfish, but wouldn't this be for the princesses' sake? Better they think I went missing than watch me die."
The Emperor took a slow, deep breath.
"This guy…."
Zekiel vanishing now?
It was a loss. An overwhelming loss for the Imperial Palace.
Why had those five conditions been created in the first place?
The Emperor had vehemently opposed the marriage, but the five princesses had eagerly accepted Zekiel's proposal. He couldn't withstand their united support.
In other words, they had opened their hearts to him. If Zekiel disappeared, they'd surely be heartbroken.
'…After all that effort to cultivate those bonds.'
If the Imperial Palace was a towering estate on the continent, the five princesses were its pillars. Whether those pillars stood or fell depended on Zekiel.
"Consider the matter with the 1st Princess a failure. I'll live out my remaining days simply and depart."
"…Wait."
"Yes?"
"I said wait."
The Emperor sighed deeply as he spoke.
Losing a talented individual like Zekiel was a problem, but the princesses investigating his disappearance would be an even bigger issue.
It wasn't just resentment toward the Emperor. They'd abandon everything and scour the continent… No, they'd turn the world upside down to find him.
An enormous waste of manpower and time.
"I grant it. Two drops."
"Hm?"
Zekiel calmly tilted his head.
"Why only two drops?"
"What?"
"Your Imperial Majesty, make it three."
"Didn't you just mention two drops yourself?"
"On second thought, I deserve more. I neutralized it through the 1st Princess, after all."
"…."
"No, three is too few. I'm feeling unwell lately, and to prepare for the next outing, at least five…."
"…Three drops. Three."
"Thank you."
Crush—!
The apple in the Emperor's hand burst, unable to withstand the pressure. Normally, it should have been Zekiel's head exploding instead. What was this?
'To think I'd end up raising this guy like a son-in-law.'
The Emperor was fundamentally impassive about everything.
When he had discovered Zekiel in the Penitence Palace, his impression was merely that of unearthing the most exquisite puppet weapon. A part that would eventually be replaced. Nothing more.
Yet Zekiel was changing many things.
He had changed himself, transformed the princesses, and now, perhaps… even influencing the Emperor himself.
The Emperor glanced down at his own long robe anew.
'…Am I truly being affected? Me?'
An unprecedented experience. A genuinely unfamiliar change.
In any case, it was now unavoidable.
"Illarep, reveal yourself."
"Yes, Your Imperial Majesty."
The space in the audience chamber shimmered like a heat haze, and a tall man appeared. Illarep, who quietly served as the Emperor's right-hand man.
"Prepare a contract. Over three months, a total of three drops of Sun Dew."
"Three drops? You're granting a full three drops?"
"Hold your questions."
"…My apologies. I shall obey."
Illarep vanished as swiftly as he had come, and Zekiel nodded in satisfaction.
"I thank Your Imperial Majesty's boundless mercy."
"I never imagined your cunning had deepened this much."
Humans grow more concerned with face as they gain honor and power. Eventually, that face becomes shackles, leading them to avoid anything that might tarnish it….
…But Zekiel was a man with nothing to lose, on a timer. His boldness made him surprisingly tricky to handle.
"With Sun Dew extending your life indefinitely, prepare to be worked to the bone."
"If I'm getting Sun Dew, I'll do anything."
"Hmmm."
The Emperor slowly sipped from the chalice.
'Yes, three drops is a bargain.'
In truth, after Zekiel, attempts to create more weapons had failed. No masterpiece as magnificent as him had emerged again on the continent.
Sun Dew was exceedingly precious, but Zekiel's growth was brilliantly promising. If he lived long and served diligently, it would benefit the Emperor greatly.
'On reflection, it's not a bad deal at all.'
As the Emperor thought this,
Illarep reappeared.
"Your Imperial Majesty, the contract is complete."
"Well done."
"And additionally, here is the elixir you promised earlier."
The hand fiddling with the apple froze.
'An elixir? Of all things, one from the third floor of the treasure vault….'
Illarep had selected only the finest among many elixirs. Should he praise him for a job well done or scold him in this moment?
"Since we've agreed on Sun Dew, there's no need for an elixir as well. Return it to—"
"Thank you."
Before the Emperor could finish, Zekiel snatched the elixir from Illarep's hand.
Gulp, gulp, gulp—
Like a drunkard downing liquor, with utmost naturalness, he swallowed the entire contents before anyone could say a word.
"I feel sturdier already. Thank you."
"…Fine."
At this point, the Emperor just wanted to shoo Zekiel away.
His robe fluttered in the air, a gesture waving him out of the audience chamber posthaste.
"Take the contract and go. Let's not meet for a while."
The massive stone door of the audience chamber swung open.
"On reflection, it wasn't a bad deal. But remember one thing. With a lifespan as long as eternity, your sense of responsibility must be equally weighty."
"Yes."
"Strive fiercely to fulfill the five conditions, and think deeply of the princesses. Vanish? There's no corner of this continent beyond my sight. I'm indulging your whims only this once."
"Understood."
However.
Even with the door open, Zekiel didn't leave.
"But, one more request."
"…?"
Zekiel waved the princess's time voucher.
"After taking the elixir and Sun Dew… what now?"
"Please make four more vouchers."
Pop—!
The Emperor immediately unleashed a mystical power, and the voucher in Zekiel's hand multiplied to five.
The acceptance was so swift that Zekiel grew curious instead.
"…You're granting this without even hearing details?"
"Yes."
"Hmm?"
Zekiel saw this as good news.
He'd been fretting over having only one, but with five, he could give one to each princess. It would make things much easier.
As if reading his thoughts, the Emperor spoke.
"Zekiel, your thinking is obvious. You believe one per princess will solve everything."
"Yes. Thanks to Your Majesty."
"You truly don't understand women."
The Emperor began to chuckle subtly.
For Zekiel, who had reaped massive gains since entering the audience chamber, this felt somewhat ominous.
"What do you mean?"
"When one becomes five, a woman expects all five to be for her. It won't go as you expect."
"Hm?"
"Whether you squeeze it dry or chop it into five pieces and hand them out, figure it out yourself. Karma."
Zekiel hurriedly offered the four extra vouchers.
"Your Imperial Majesty, pretend these never existed…."
"Out."
Bam—!
With a massive thud, the audience chamber door slammed shut.
Zekiel stared blankly at the five vouchers in his hand.
Uh….
Uh…?
Everything had gone well, but he'd messed up at the very end.
…A colossal blunder, at that.