Chapter 16
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: Inspector (5)
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...That man is the one taking office as Inspector this time?
Knox and Widro thought the exact same thing at the same time.
─! ─!
But they had no time to sit there lost in thought.
The sphere wrapped in cold air spun wildly, brimming with an ominous aura, surging as if it might explode at any moment. It was a truly terrifying sight.
The panicked people around them began shouting haphazardly.
"That thing... shouldn't we block it?"
"It looks dangerous!"
If that sphere, packed with an enormous amount of mana, detonated, it would rip everything nearby to shreds. Widro and Knox immediately prepared to meet the crisis in their own ways.
In truth, if this was a crisis, it was an opportunity for them.
With everyone in chaos right now, stepping up as the main defenders would let them show off their power and gain fame in one go.
─! ─!
But there was another problem.
The sphere's energy was far more immense than they could have imagined.
─!
A brief thought flashed through Knox and Widro's minds.
Maybe even we won't be able to block this.
The moment that thought crossed their minds, the explosion rang out spectacularly.
─!
"Kuh...!"
"Ugh!"
Everyone in the area covered their eyes with their arms. Even though defensive spells had been hastily cast and shot out in all directions, they couldn't do anything about the brilliant light scattering everywhere.
So, with eyes squeezed shut, they waited: one second.
Five seconds.
Ten seconds.
─
A light pattering sound echoed against the barriers, like something tapping on them.
No, "tapping" felt a bit too heavy. It was more like something softly settling onto the curtains of light.
They worried there might be some massive aftershock coming next.
But that was it. Even after thirty seconds, nothing more.
"...".
They had braced for the worst, but nothing worthy of the name happened. Knox, Widro, and the nearby mages slowly opened their eyes amid the odd sensation and scanned their surroundings.
...Frost? Hail?
What had settled on the barriers was nothing more than mere frost or hailstones.
An attack spell?
No, everything was intact.
There wasn't a single thing destroyed, and it was far too feeble to call an attack anyway. These were weak, fragile bits of ice that were melting away in real time even as they watched.
"...".
The whole area had already fallen silent.
People who had been fleeing in all directions stopped in their tracks to look around, and those who had thrown themselves to the ground stood back up.
No one was hurt.
A perfect peace, without even a scream.
The world unchanged, save for a slight chill in the air. What on earth had that explosion been for? No one here understood the reason yet.
Knox and Widro glanced at each other at the same time.
I didn't block it, so... did that guy?
But the moment their eyes met, they knew.
He definitely hadn't blocked it. In that instant, they could read everything in each other's expressions.
Shock, bewilderment, awe...
Not just them, either. The whole area felt the same.
"What the hell just happened?"
"Nothing happened?"
"Was it just a trick?"
"...A prank to scare people?"
Unable to grasp the spell's intent at all, everyone's eyes turned to the caster. They waited for him to say something.
"Up...!"
Someone shouted at the top of their lungs.
"Look up! Look up there!"
At the urgent voice, everyone's heads snapped upward.
"...!"
And everyone in the area was struck with shock.
For a split second, they imagined some horrific sight, but what actually unfolded in the sky was its exact opposite—an absolute masterpiece of beauty.
Light fragments splintering into hexagons through glass-like ice crystals, colors stretching out brilliantly in seven hues.
Beautiful.
They could only freeze, captivated by the sight.
"Whoa..."
People's mouths slowly fell open.
This street was where beggar mages scraped by, the stage for brutal faction wars from the Imperial Magic Tower, a place where everyone rushed about so busily that happiness and leisure were always in short supply.
But now...
It had become a grand art gallery, brimming with leisure for all.
Mages often say it.
Magic is the power to make miracles real.
Yet it's not too detached from reality—it's closely tied to it. It seasons the ordinary and mundane into something special, so anyone can't help but be drawn in.
Was this moment special for everyone?
Who knows.
But one thing was certain. They were all utterly enchanted.
The countless rainbows descended slowly like parachutes, and people's gazes followed them. It felt like a pleasant illusion where the sky itself was lowering.
─
As if parading its seven colors, the cluster of light wriggled forward, circled playfully around the caster's body, then popped and vanished.
"...".
The world was now completely back to normal, without a single trace left.
Everyone's eyes naturally turned to Zekiel.
"My god."
"...I've never seen anything like this."
The world finally regained its sound.
People muttered things like that while touching their own faces in surprise. For some reason, they felt like they'd unconsciously started mimicking the man's relaxed smile.
It wasn't terrorism—it was art.
And that art contained something truly immense.
Most people striding through this bustling street weren't ordinary folk, but mages. Experience let them see the level of skill involved, and having studied and attempted magic themselves, they were all the more stunned.
No, horrified.
...An unbelievable feat.
The difficulty was off the charts, and they couldn't even begin to fathom how the intricate elements had been designed. It was a level so incredible it could be a lifelong goal.
"...That's as far as it'll go."
The caster, Zekiel, murmured.
Only then did people snap back to reality.
The light clusters were gone, and all the ice had sublimated without a trace. Aside from the lingering afterglow in people's hearts, it was as if nothing had ever happened here.
...Like a dream on a midsummer day.
Realizing it was over, people started exhaling all around.
They wanted to praise the caster. Or beg him to do it one more time. Before they knew it, the beggar boy's tin can was overflowing with silver coins.
"Um, excuse me...!"
The moment someone finally mustered the courage to speak up.
Zekiel shook his head. He flashed a faint smile, as if he already knew what they were going to say.
"Sorry, I've got my inauguration ceremony coming up, so I'm busy."
With those few words, he vanished before the crowd could even grab at him.
"...!"
Meanwhile, Knox and Widro jolted at the mention of the inauguration, their shoulders trembling.
They rummaged frantically in their pockets and pulled something out at the same time. It was the reply from Zekiel.
As if entranced, they checked the contents.
[Imperial Magic Tower Cafeteria]
Just that one line.
...But somehow, they felt they had to go.
The Holy Temple.
Light seeped through the single glass window into the pitch-black space. What it illuminated like a spotlight was a woman devoutly offering her prayers.
The Empire's angel, the Saintess, Solana.
"It's been a while."
She suddenly recited not a prayer, but words. Yet she remained kneeling in prayer.
"What brings you here? I thought you hated the human realm for being so insignificant."
The saintess's characteristically gentle voice filled the empty space. Then, the being hidden in the darkness began to reveal its silhouette.
"2nd Princess, Hedera."
─ ─
The woman who stepped forward was lethal. She gleamed like a jewel while harboring an immense danger.
"Solana. I hear you've been getting way too cheeky."
Hedera cut straight to the chase, no greetings.
Her voice looked down on her as if she were far beneath, without even a shred of respect.
Only then did Solana rise and face her.
"You're as beautiful as ever, 2nd Princess."
Beneath her black hair, red eyes gleamed.
Proof of her blood dragon heritage.
Even shrouded in darkness, Hedera's eyes burned brightly. They even slit vertically like a reptile's at times. Mysterious in itself.
"Don't change the subject. I hear you appointed the Inspector for my Magic Tower."
"Did that bother you enough to come down here? You've neglected the Imperial Magic Tower for nearly ten years. And now?"
The Imperial Magic Tower was, strictly speaking, a building—and buildings have owners. That owner was none other than 2nd Princess Hedera.
"...You've gotten awfully bold while I wasn't looking. Need to straighten up?"
Hedera brought a hand to her mouth.
She wore a thick mask reminiscent of a gas mask. The moment she removed it, every word from Hedera's mouth would become a Dragon Word.
Fortunately, Solana smiled faintly.
"It's just a greeting. A greeting. It's been so long since we met."
Hedera lowered her hand and clicked her tongue.
"So, what's your business in the capital?"
"I just got an urgent message."
"Urgent message?"
"A letter... But you don't need to know that much. So cheeky."
Hedera glared at Solana.
"So why did you appoint an Inspector for my tower on your own? Why is this the first news I hear the moment I arrive in the capital?"
"I put someone reliable in the position. Don't worry about it."
"...".
Hedera's pupils slit vertically.
"I'll be the judge of that. Who is it?"
"Someone reliable, I said."
"I asked who. I won't ask a third time."
.
Solana let out a deep sigh and uttered a single name.
"...".
Right after, Hedera's pupils snapped back to normal, like an egg yolk bursting and spreading.
But they were now twice their usual size.
"...What?"