Chapter 27
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 27
Chapter Title: I Will Teach You Fear (1)
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Rumors spread faster than anything.
Especially to those who had been waiting for that particular one.
The Empire's capital. The temple that worshiped the Sun God.
"Huhuhu..."
The Empire's angel, the Empire's face, the 3rd Princess... Solana burst into girlish laughter. It was a face impossible to imagine from her usual benevolent and mature demeanor.
"A bet. A bet with the former Imperial Knights Commander, no less."
Yet there was no trace of worry on Solana's face. Her expression brimmed only with interest.
"Simply astonishing. To stir up something like this right after taking office—this Inspector is utterly unprecedented. Isn't he?"
Meanwhile, the priest who had brought the news thought quietly to himself.
...Not unprecedented, but unparalleled.
But at this moment, he couldn't dare voice it.
"Yes. This is the first Inspector of his kind I've seen in my lifetime."
Still, he nodded in agreement. An unparalleled Inspector—that much, he could fully endorse.
What was a Magic Tower Inspector?
Most coasted through their terms, feasting lavishly before retiring. A sweet gig as long as they avoided trouble. Nothing more.
But an Inspector who stepped up and shook things up?
...It had been ages. No, a first.
"Hmph."
In any case, Solana seemed pleased with the priest's news, flashing enigmatic smiles now and then.
The priest, at a loss for words, said this:
"My apologies. It seems my needless report has disturbed Your Highness's morning prayer."
"Not at all. This is the very information I requested."
"Then I'll take my leave."
Once the priest withdrew, Solana was alone again. Now it was time to begin her day as a saintess.
She cleared her mind of everything but thoughts of one person, clasped her hands together, and gently closed her eyes.
"Sun God..."
At dawn.
Without fail, day after day, Solana's routine began with a prayer for one man's peace.
"Princess Highness."
"Speak."
"Pardon my impertinence, but what is your relationship with the Inspector?"
Atop the Magic Tower. In the VIP quarters reserved solely for the 2nd Princess, Hedera furrowed her brow amid her rest.
"..."
Hedera stared silently at Balton for a moment.
"Haa."
Then she let out a deep sigh, as if finally understanding.
Come to think of it, that was right. The actions and words exchanged with Zekiel in the Magic Tower corridor... Balton had witnessed it all up close.
Letters, sincerity, and such. Stimulating words to any outsider's ears. Enough to mistake it for a romantic entanglement.
Fortunately, Hedera held a position where she could simply command.
"Forget it."
"Yes. As you command, I shall forget."
Balton bowed politely.
"I knew it was not my place to interfere. But what concerned me was..."
"I know what you're thinking. You were worried about my Ascension Ritual."
Hedera cut him off curtly.
"Balton, I know your loyalty well. But nothing matters more to me than the Ascension Ritual. Whatever attitude I take toward the Magic Tower or the Inspector, it carries no personal emotion."
"...Yes. You are perfection itself, Princess."
—You are perfection itself, Princess.
Words he had uttered countless times in her service.
But for the first time, as he said them now, Balton felt a lump like a stone in his chest.
Because the 2nd Princess before him felt imperfect.
The Ascension Ritual.
To pass it unscathed, one needed flawlessness. In other words, the more human traits shed, the closer to true dragon rebirth, the better.
...But Hedera right now clearly wasn't.
Veteran knight that he was, Balton hadn't missed it. The subtle differences in Hedera's facial muscles and the movements of her fingertips when facing Zekiel.
Undeniably, there had been emotion there.
'Zekiel, what kind of man are you.'
That was Balton's sole lingering question.
"My proposal for this performance review stemmed purely from curiosity about the Inspector's abilities. The bet with you escalated things, but it's not a bad turn."
"...Do you truly think the bet will proceed?"
Balton asked, incredulous.
Yet Hedera continued calmly.
"You saw the announcement. It's not just skill in magic. He has boundless creativity."
"Impressive, certainly."
"Impressive? That's too mild. It's more like..."
She trailed off suddenly, waving her hand lightly.
"Hm, never mind. I'm rambling. It's unbecoming."
To Balton's eyes, it looked like the Princess had been excitedly about to elaborate but consciously held back.
"In any case, my guard knight—give it your all."
"...Princess. I am Balton."
Balton said, a hint of suppressed frustration in his tone.
A knight who wielded sword aura and sword beams was no slouch compared to any mage. Balton himself was a former commander of the renowned Imperial Knights, with defeats few and far between.
He sometimes felt slighted by these remarks from Hedera.
Despite the reverence other knights held for his position, Hedera always eyed him as if he fell short.
As if she'd witnessed something so extraordinary that nothing else moved her.
"I know. That's precisely why I tell you so."
But in the next moment, Balton doubted his own eyes.
That flicker of excitement.
He thought he saw it glint faintly in the Princess's gaze.
"...This bet may prove far more grueling than expected."
The Magic Tower's corridors.
The Practical Faction's leader, Knox, was a man who enjoyed his drinks. The issue was being drunk in broad daylight.
"Hahaha! Hahahahaha...!"
He erupted in laughter bordering on mania.
"Finally! The Magic Tower has dodged the sale!"
But the next instant, he crumpled to the floor without warning.
"Hic... Hng...! Hwaaa!"
Panting ragged breaths, he broke into sobs and shook his head wildly.
"We're doomed. Doomed! A bet with the 2nd Princess's guard knight... Are we leaping to our doom? What's to become of this Tower now...!"
"...Bipolar? Too young for that."
Zekiel, watching the display, muttered a remark.
Anes, watching Zekiel in turn, added her own.
"Isn't this all thanks to you, Inspector?"
Knox might look unhinged, but the truth was the entire Magic Tower shared this mood. Dodging the sale was great, but winning the bet? No clue how.
The situation felt utterly hopeless.
...Of course, the man at the center, Zekiel, was utterly nonchalant.
"Save the thanks for after the bet. Too soon."
"This isn't thanks. It's sarcasm. Sarcasm means—"
"Enough. You'll be thanking me anyway. I'm going to win."
"That confidence of yours... In any case, look."
As they walked the corridor, Anes suddenly halted.
At the corridor's heart stood a massive blackboard-like panel, densely plastered at regular intervals with papers of varying colors.
"The Imperial Magic Tower isn't run solely on taxes. Requests come in as these documents; solve them for rewards."
"They're packed. Always overflowing with commissions?"
"Hardly any come in anymore. These are the unsolved backlog."
"Sounds like deficits for the past decade straight."
"...Yes."
Anes cleared her throat dryly, her face expressionless.
"Truth be told, these aren't just for our Tower. They go to other Magic Towers, knight orders... simultaneously."
"Makes sense. Whoever solves it gets the credit."
"The key point is, it's not our incompetence that led to this pile-up. These are the ones no other Tower or knight order could crack."
Anes spoke with deadpan seriousness.
More striking than the mission details, though, was the color. Amid the sea of white papers, one yellow sheet stood out boldly.
"A different color. What's that?"
"Difficulty determines the paper hue. White for medium, yellow for high, red for extreme."
Zekiel scrutinized the yellow sheet.
[Erosion Phenomenon Purification Request]
[Erosion Phenomenon in the Luifpl region is severe. Magical beasts and even demonkin have appeared. Resolve as soon as possible...]
"Lately, the Erosion Phenomenon in Luifpl has worsened. We've subjugated the beasts multiple times, but they respawn like nothing happened."
"Not asking for extermination, but cause identification."
"Exactly. The Blue Magic Tower attempted it twice already and failed. Now there's talk of upgrading it to a red request."
Zekiel understood why it was yellow.
Clearing beasts was straightforward, but pinpointing and eliminating the regeneration source? That jacked up the difficulty immensely.
"I'll pick slowly by end of day. Got it for now."
Anes nodded silently in agreement.
And breathed a quiet sigh of relief.
Selecting only winnable requests with high success odds—what strategy could be more vital?
Truthfully, Anes had been deeply worried Zekiel might pick the Luifpl one.
...That was practically impossible. One they absolutely shouldn't touch.
Balton had already accepted it. If Zekiel took it too, they'd compete head-to-head in the same region...
...The mere thought was nightmarish.
Anes knew Zekiel's prowess by now, of course.
However.
'Performance missions require a minimum of three people.'
If the other two dragged him down, things could go south fast. The opponents would field at least three Balton-level knights in perfect sync.
So the optimal play was elsewhere.
"It'd be best if we tackle multiple white requests. Quantity over quality."
Yellows worth 10 points, whites 1—ten whites ground out hard could force a draw.
Fortunately, Zekiel nodded.
"Got it. I'll think it over."
Relieved, Anes added unnecessarily.
"Yes. I'll assist however I can."
Whereupon Zekiel thrust a box into her arms.
"Fill this with Sunweed."
"..."
Anes nearly protested but clamped her mouth shut. She'd just volunteered assistance herself.
Seconds ago, even.
She pursed her lips, then finally voiced an objection.
"Sunweed's gotten really hard to procure lately."
Zekiel's gaze shifted to Anes's cube.
"...It's true."
A bead of sweat formed on Anes's forehead.
"Holding my cube hostage won't change that."
"Then explain why."
"Luifpl's the top producer. The Erosion Phenomenon has them tied up in headaches, so supplies are spotty. Demonkin have disrupted distribution too."
"I see."
Anes finally exhaled in relief.
But the next moment,
She realized relief was premature.
"...!"
The yellow request sheet Balton had taken.
Luifpl region, high difficulty, Erosion cause probe.
Zekiel had ripped it free and was poring over it intently.
"...Arrogant demon bastards."
The Inspector muttered with uncharacteristic gravity.
"Looks like I need to teach them what fear really is."
"..."
...Anes already had a pretty good idea what fear was.