Chapter 37
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 37
Chapter Title: Embers of Regret (3)
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A dark space lined with purple candles.
Goat heads hung on the walls, creating a profoundly eerie atmosphere. Black-hooded mages strode freely through this place, which felt like the secret hideout of some criminal syndicate.
This was the Black Magic Tower, the northernmost institution among the empire's six magic towers and the epitome of black magic.
"Tower Lord~"
Someone approached with a playful lilt in her voice.
She had the look of an impish little devil, complete with horns on her head and a teddy bear clutched in her arms—a petite girl.
Meanwhile, the woman called the Tower Lord had the air of a witch about her. With her wide-brimmed pointed hat pulled low and a black dress draped over her form, she showed no particular reaction.
She merely stirred the vigorously boiling cauldron with telekinesis.
"Tower Lord~ Are you listening?"
The Black Tower Lord was meticulously scanning a book levitated in midair by her telekinesis. All sorts of bizarre ingredients poured ceaselessly into the bubbling cauldron.
"Tower Lord! The Luifel region's been purified!"
Only then did the witch-like woman's hand gesture halt abruptly.
The Black Tower Lord lifted her pointed hat slightly and gazed at the little girl. In the dark, gloomy space, her jade-green eyes gleamed like torches.
"The Luifel region's been purified?"
"Yeah~ No doubt about it. I checked it myself."
"By whom?"
"The Imperial Magic Tower. Oh, and they took the demon sword too!"
"...The Imperial Magic Tower?"
The Black Tower Lord snapped shut the book floating in the air with telekinesis, producing a sharp thud.
Meanwhile, the girl hugged her teddy bear tightly and peered into the boiling cauldron.
"That's what happened~ Would I lie to you? Anyway, making that again? Flowing Ice Waterfall?"
The Black Tower Lord nodded quietly.
Ice Waterfall.
An extremely difficult freezing technique that created the spectacle of ice cascading like a waterfall. It was this decorative piece that the Black Tower Lord desired.
But was extreme difficulty so named for nothing?
...It wasn't easy to craft. Not even the recipe was known.
"You just can't help yourself when it comes to interior decor. Tower Lord, is that really so important? Do you want it that badly?"
"It is important."
"No way it'll happen. We're black magic specialists. And we can't exactly bow to the Blue Tower either! Just give up~ What's the big deal about some silly decoration~"
At that, the Black Tower Lord's hair bristled ever so slightly, as if she'd heard something utterly unacceptable.
The girl immediately corrected herself.
"Oopsie, my bad. It's important. Super important."
Only then did the Black Tower Lord click her tongue with a tsk, as if granting a pardon.
"Tower Lord, so what're we gonna do? That demon sword was ours to snag! They beat us to the punch right in front of our eyes!"
The girl had a point.
The Black Magic Tower prioritized the study of black magic above all else. Thus, they'd deliberately left Luifel alone until now.
The plan was to capture and research the demon sword once it had grown substantially—a notion perfectly in line with a group that valued pure inquiry above all. That was the Black Magic Tower, after all.
Yet someone had brazenly snatched that demon sword away.
And not just anyone—the Imperial Magic Tower, of all places.
"Hmm."
"Of all towers, who would've thought the Imperial Magic Tower would pull it off? They must've been hiding some massive achievements, right?"
"Unlikely. Their internal affairs must be in utter disarray."
The Black Tower Lord spoke with firm conviction in her own assessment.
"So, what should we do?"
"Focus on the exchange meeting for now. Forget the rest."
"The exchange meeting! This one's super important! It's our Black Magic Tower's turn to host! Finally our shot!"
The exchange meeting rotated among the six magic towers, and this time it was the Black Magic Tower's turn. In other words, for them, it was a golden opportunity for advancement.
Hosting the exchange meeting in their own tower offered benefits beyond imagination, no matter how you sliced it.
"Tower Lord, I've got a question. About the Imperial Magic Tower. You gonna let them arrive all nice and safe?"
"We have to. Scare them off, and they'll skip again. They've no-showed over ten times already. No choice but to coax them properly."
"Huh? No way! Tower Lord, what're you talking about!"
The girl shook her head vehemently, as if that was the furthest thing from the truth.
"The Imperial Magic Tower's acting all high and mighty this time! They sent a reply saying they'll definitely attend. And get this—not only that, they told the other towers not to be late~"
"...That's not like the Imperial Magic Tower. What's gotten into them?"
"Tower Lord! So you're really gonna let them arrive safely?"
"Why do you keep asking?"
"I wanna play a prank~ Come on, I wanna prank them!"
"Hmm."
"They stole our demon sword! That was our Black Magic Tower's toy! I wanna mess with them!"
"Do as you please. Go ahead."
The Tower Lord responded with evident exasperation. That girl would pull pranks regardless of warnings, so it was better to just let her loose.
"Really? But Tower Lord! Towerrr Lord~!"
"Stop calling me like that. Am I your friend?"
A vein bulged vertically on the Tower Lord's forehead.
"...If it's not important, I'll kill you."
"It is important! Super important!"
The girl giggled and pointed with her finger.
"That!"
What her fingertip indicated was the vigorously boiling cauldron.
"Is it okay to leave it like that? Huh?"
Ah.
Right. She was supposed to keep stirring it nonstop.
"...No, it's not."
The next moment.
Boom─!
The cauldron exploded, sending frogs flying in all directions.
Imperial Magic Tower, grand hall.
"...Mr. Widro, I still have a bad feeling about this."
Knox, the head of the Theoretical Faction, adjusted his glasses as he spoke.
The atmosphere in the Imperial Magic Tower lately was taut as a thread about to snap. The reason was obvious: the performance wager conducted in Luifel.
"Cut the nonsense. Words can plant seeds, you know."
Even Widro, who said that, felt much the same deep down.
The wager in Luifel had a one-week timeframe.
Yet Inspector Zekiel had returned to the tower on the very day of departure. Per the rules, results remained secret until announcement, leaving everyone curious and anxious to the point of madness.
"Any chance he won in just one day and came back...?"
Widro's words drew a deep sigh from Knox.
"Mr. Widro, does that even make sense?"
"I was just venting my frustration. Until we hear from the parties involved, there's no way to know the outcome. The mages here are burning up inside, aren't they?"
"It's worrying. Truly worrying. If we lose badly in this wager, Her Highness might change her mind again...."
Widro and Knox's gazes turned to the opposite side.
Three knights stood in silence. They'd only just returned to the capital, meaning they'd been gathering results right up to today.
But Zekiel himself hadn't shown his face outside even once since returning on day one. Not even once.
...Save for the occasional wisps of sunweed smoke leaking from his office.
"Why won't the Inspector come out? Were the results that shocking? How big was the gap...?"
"No idea. Talking about it just makes me more uneasy."
Not only had the princess urged the wager, but the rewards were enormous too. Endless speculation about the results buzzed among the mages.
Then, at one point.
Thud─!
The massive doors swung wide open, followed by the sound of footsteps.
Click-clack─ click-clack─
The distinctive sound of high heels.
A noble resonance only a princess could possess.
The mages who had been chatting while seated rose in unison, even regulating their breaths out of courtesy.
The 2nd Princess passed through the crowd and took her place at the front of the grand hall.
Step─ step─
And then there was a man who arrived after Hedera.
Snow-white hair falling to his shoulders, piercing blue eyes stark against pale skin. Zekiel, still chewing on his sunweed.
His escort knight, Balton, reacted immediately.
"...Inspector, can't you hurry up a bit?"
But Zekiel remained utterly nonchalant, countering with supreme confidence.
"Anyone would think I was late."
It wasn't entirely wrong. He'd arrived after Hedera, but hadn't technically been tardy.
With everyone gathered, the announcement began.
"The promised time is up. Time for reports."
One sentence from 2nd Princess Hedera.
No mage was unaware that the tower's very survival hinged on her mood, so they all simply bowed their heads and held their breath.
"Hmm."
The princess hesitated for a moment.
Come to think of it, the 2nd Princess looked far more fatigued than usual—several times more, in fact. Her face was hollowed out.
The mages observing her came to a single thought.
─We lost?
─Has Her Highness already heard the results?
─We lost after all!
But Hedera was equally in the dark about the outcome.
"Hmm."
And then, the words she uttered moments later.
They deviated sharply from the mages' expectations.
"Before hearing the results, I'd like to give both sides a chance."
"...A chance?"
"What kind of chance?"
As the mages whispered and glanced at each other.
"With the exchange meeting right around the corner, I couldn't shake the feeling that pushing this wager too hard was unwise. So, right before confirming the results, I'm thinking of offering this opportunity."
"... ."
"It's simple. You were all sent to Luifel with good intentions, so how about rewarding both sides and calling it even?"
"...!"
The mages' eyes widened in shock.
Not just them—the three knights' eyes bulged too.
"In exchange, since both sides get rewards, no more competing from here on. What do you say?"
"... ."
It was shocking. Utterly astonishing.
Hadn't the 2nd Princess been the one most excited about this wager, pushing it the hardest?
For her to now offer rewards to both sides—what had happened? What shift in her heart? It was impossible to predict.
...Why was she hesitating to hear the results?
"... ."
As the mages stood dumbfounded.
"Your Highness, we absolutely cannot do that."
The one who spoke up was none other than Balton.
"This was a real contest either way. Everyone has the right to know the results. Moreover... ."
"Enough. Just decide."
Hedera cut Balton off hastily.
Everyone sensed something off. Today's 2nd Princess seemed unusually impatient, not at all like herself. She even glanced at Zekiel at regular intervals.
Through Balton's reaction, they all became convinced.
...The knights definitely won.
Viewed that way, this offer was enormous.
All eyes hurriedly turned to Zekiel.
Accept it, and it's a draw. They could even enter the imperial records. There was no reason to refuse, no matter how you looked at it.
"... ."
However.
The Imperial Magic Tower's Inspector.
"Hm."
Was utterly indifferent. To the shock of everyone.
"This wager wasn't any strain at all."
Whoosh─
He exhaled a long plume of smoke.
"Just proceed as originally promised."
One sentence that plunged everyone into shock.