Chapter 24
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 24
Chapter Title: 2nd Princess, Hedera (7)
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Five minutes before the announcement began.
The 2nd Princess of the Empire, and owner of the Imperial Magic Tower, Hedera was flipping through the sale proposal with furrowed brows.
"Hmm."
Truth be told, her mind was still a tangled mess.
—Your Imperial Majesty, I'll handle it myself.
—If I may humbly request, please do not interfere.
She had planned to settle things with Zekiel in one swift go, but it had fallen through. It left a nagging unease, much like the crumpled letter tucked in her bosom.
Halfway through, she'd thought he was just making excuses and considered storming out, but that decision had backfired spectacularly.
Who would have thought he'd grab her wrist, mutter something about sincerity, and vanish? He was no easy opponent.
In any case, now it was time for her to play the role of Tower Lord, if only temporarily.
"Haa."
The mere thought of carrying out the Tower Lord's duties brought a sigh to her lips first.
'An announcement, really.'
It was just a venue for desperate pleas not to sell.
She had been through countless such scenes. People plastering on awkward smiles to curry favor, frantic attitudes born of fear for their livelihoods...
She had kept the tower afloat with a generous, charitable heart all this while, but her circumstances had shifted, making it a headache now.
'The Ascension Ritual.'
The heavenly realm hosted a grand event called the Ascension Ritual. An immense opportunity where those with dragon blood could earn recognition from the living legends themselves—the dragons—and be reborn as one of their kin.
Hedera intended to erase any blemishes beforehand for that day. Being branded the "owner of a low-performing tower" was practically a stain on her reputation.
Truthfully, when she thought about the Ascension Ritual, there was no reason to even listen to the announcement.
Proceeding straight to the sale without hearing a word would be the right move.
However.
The reason she had taken her seat in person despite all that was...
—Sincere.
...just that one word. She was giving him a chance.
"Shall we see what he has to say."
If the contents of that letter were truly sincere, what had Zekiel prepared? Could he fill the void he had never explained in a way that would convince her?
Her guard knight, Balton, subtly lowered his stance.
"Princess, are you really going to hear out that man?"
"Yes."
Of course, if he spouted nonsense, she'd bolt from her seat immediately.
The initiative was firmly in her grasp right now. As she reminded herself of that fact over and over, the spatial distortions finally ceased. Zekiel had made his entrance.
But right from the start, her expectations were upended.
"I've been thinking."
She had braced for a flood of flowery rhetoric, but no.
Excessive formality and etiquette? No.
"This crappy Magic Tower? Might as well just sell it."
"...?"
At first, she doubted her ears.
"...?"
And only after a full minute did she realize she'd heard correctly.
Having heard correctly, she could only doubt her ears all over again.
Finally, a single thought bloomed in her mind.
'What?'
...She couldn't even guess what he was up to.
At last, the main announcement began.
Crunch. Zekiel pulled out a fresh Sunweed and started chewing.
"As you all know, the Imperial Magic Tower is a place for utilizing and researching highly advanced magic. Yet there are still blatant incompetents who can't even handle the basics."
The mages' minds began whirring at full speed.
What on earth was he getting at? They couldn't fathom what the inspector was thinking or what words would spill from his mouth next.
...And informal speech, no less? But that was hardly the time to quibble.
Fwoosh—
The moment Zekiel exhaled a short puff of Sunweed smoke, ice statues began erupting from the ground in droves.
"Huh?"
"What? That's me?"
Surprise and bewilderment mingled equally on every face.
They knew full well the hellish difficulty of crafting ice statues that precise, so they were stunned. But at the same time, they had no clue why the statues resembled themselves.
Zekiel continued his announcement, chewing his Sunweed.
"Basic magic: Ice Lance. One scroll's all it takes."
He unfurled a scroll he had prepared in advance.
Whoosh!
The scroll thrown into the air took on the form of an Ice Lance and pierced straight through the void. Textbook perfection, no frills.
"But what about an Ice Lance like this?"
Shwick—!
Thud!
The words had barely left his mouth when something tore through the air and embedded itself in the wall. The movement was too fast to track with the naked eye.
The tip was serrated like a saw blade, and the speed was incomparable.
The gap was so vast it was absurd to call them the same spell. Then again, the scroll's Ice Lance was designed with 14 strokes, while his manifestation used a whopping 80.
"Why the massive difference in the same spell? Just because it's 'enhanced'? No one's seriously delved into it?"
Not a single mage answered yet.
"Then why is the casting time identical? Formula quantity is supposed to be proportional to casting time—basic common sense. So why?"
Still, no replies.
But now, everyone was hanging on his every word.
"No wonder. You lot cling to the uniqueness of magic and obsess over new discoveries, missing what's truly important."
That was when it happened.
Creeeak—
The ice statues mimicking them all began to move. They moved as if they possessed souls of their own—an unreal spectacle.
The mages' jaws dropped slack.
"The answer lies in understanding yourself. From now on, don't observe magic—observe yourselves. Endlessly."
Crack crack—
The statues' movements were recreations of the mages' fierce spars during Zekiel's absence.
"...!"
The mages gasped in shock and crowded toward the railings. The instinct of any mage: to scrutinize a fine spell up close for as long as possible.
Of course, Hedera's brows remained furrowed.
She refused to admit she was getting immersed in his presentation. Denying any interest was even more imperative...
Pride and defiance fused into one.
"You design the spells yourselves, yet spend your lives just watching others cast them. How was your life, really?"
Zekiel pointed to one of the moving statues.
The statue was in a pose as if deploying something—likely using a scroll.
"This one activated a Rockfall Summon scroll. Let's tie in my understanding. Just a few examples."
Zekiel unfurled a Rockfall Summon scroll.
Pop!
Rocks materialized in the air and began plummeting.
"Alter the element in the core stroke. To ice."
He applied his self-understanding even to the scroll. The falling rocks morphed into massive icicles.
"But it's not always about dropping them."
He tweaked the direction circuit. Reversal.
The plummeting icicles shot back up into the air.
This wasn't telekinesis. Just another 'application' of the scroll.
"Sometimes quantity is key for effect."
He shattered a specific solid line stroke on the scroll into countless dotted lines. Instantly, the icicles split into ten identical ones and slammed into the floor.
By fusing self-understanding with a mere Rockfall scroll, he had produced Icicle Drop, Icicle Rise, Icicle Split Shot... multiple scroll effects from a single sheet.
"... ."
Hedera unconsciously fiddled with the mask over her mouth. An old habit that surfaced when her interest piqued.
And rightly so—Zekiel's words went beyond ideals.
That was no basic at all. Never.
Why else would the phrase "easier said than done" exist in the world?
Theoretically possible or not, countless things proved impossible in practice. If every theory were feasible, there'd be no divide between genius and fool.
Zekiel's presentation was exactly that.
...Just talk that's easy on the tongue. Nothing more.
Far too difficult to actually attempt.
"Alright, let's dissect this scroll next."
However.
If someone right before your eyes made that theory look effortless.
If they proved the impossible with their own hands up close.
If they turned "easier said than done" into simply "easy," then the embers in a mage's heart would ignite without fail. That burning desire to try it themselves, just once.
"You each have unique constitutions. They're all different, and that's the very uniqueness you should obsess over. To that end, observe yourselves endlessly."
Come to think of it, there had been no mirrors in the training ground.
The mages had only ever watched their opponents.
The entire training ground was now pouring every ounce of focus into Zekiel. The self-images he showed through the ice statues were utterly unfamiliar yet welcoming.
The self they had relentlessly ignored, now cautiously extending a hand as mages.
Reconciliation born of aspiration and courage. Their first handshake.
"... ."
Sparks began flickering in Hedera's heart as well.
The friction narrowing with every moment.
Right at the cusp of kindling even a small flame—
"That's enough."
Zekiel abruptly halted everything.
Simultaneously, every ice statue in the training ground shattered into steam. As if nothing had happened.
"Eh?"
"Ah!"
"Just a bit more...!"
Sighs erupted instinctively here and there.
For an instant, Hedera felt chills prickle her skin.
Because she had unmistakably felt regret just now.
She, feeling regret right now?
...Over Zekiel's presentation? That interested?
Everyone except Hedera stared at Zekiel with faces full of impatience.
Desperately hoping his announcement would resume. Cutting off here was torture.
"...Well, that's roughly what basics mean to me."
Of course, Zekiel just leisurely lit a fresh Sunweed.
"But let's just sell it. You don't even have the will."
At that, their eyes blazed.
Not defiance, just pure appeal.
The mages now gazed at Zekiel with pleading expressions, begging for a chance.
"Why the faces? No?"
The mages nodded emphatically with their eyes.
But Zekiel shook his head once more.
"Still no. This violates regulations."
At the same time, a pfft of laughter escaped him.
A mischievous, roguish grin that wasn't the least bit hateful.
"Unless the 2nd Princess changes her mind, that is."
And with that—every mage's head whipped around like an owl's.
The countless eyes converged, naturally, on 2nd Princess Hedera's face.
"... ."
In that brief instant, Hedera sensed what they harbored.
No longer childish pleas to halt the sale.
Blazing behind their gazes: aspiration.
Hands itching to manifest it right now.
At last, they were true mages.
A sight Hedera had never witnessed before.
"...Ha."
The princess finally let out a hollow chuckle.