Chapter 38
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 38
Chapter Title: Spark of Regret (4)
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Silence had blanketed the grand hall of the Imperial Magic Tower.
Though there was no sound, utter pandemonium was unfolding.
In truth, the chaos had been brewing for a week already, but now it had crossed the threshold beyond which it could no longer be suppressed.
And so, shouts began erupting here and there amid the hush.
A countless barrage of telepathic messages exploded outward.
─Stick to the original agreement?
─Why stick to the original agreement? Did we win or something? Are they that confident?
─As if! Her Highness was just trying to accommodate the Tower somewhat—why pull this now?
─That's exactly what I mean!
In the midst of it all, someone tossed out a plausible guess.
─Could it be... pride?
It wasn't entirely without merit. Zekiel had shown nothing but overflowing confidence in every moment since appearing at the Tower.
─No way it'd be over something like pride...!
─We're doomed.
─How long ago was the sale canceled, and now this...
─We overdid it with the bet's scale from the start. A performance contest against the Princess's guard knight!
Zekiel's true feelings were something only he himself could know, but with defeat all but a foregone conclusion, this was utterly despairing news for the Tower's mages.
Zekiel had stayed in Luipl for half a day, Balton for a full week... It was obvious without checking which one's performance was higher, wasn't it?
And even with heaven-sent luck granting Her Highness's mercy to boot.
...Only for him to toss it away just like that? Just like this?
It was enough to drive anyone mad.
Unable to send telepathy directly to Zekiel, the mages' messages soon veered in another direction.
─Anes!
─Hey, Anes!
─Lady Anes!
Naturally, toward Anes, Zekiel's secretary.
─Anes, can't you talk him out of it?
─Isn't this going too far, even for him?
─There's a limit to pride!
─At least tell us the results now.
─Say something—anything!
"... ."
Anes quietly closed her eyes.
Her head felt like it might explode.
So many telepathic messages were flooding her that she wondered if her ears might fall off.
─Anes! Do something!
─Our Inspector's lost his mind!
Their feelings weren't incomprehensible.
Had she stayed at the Tower, had she not witnessed it firsthand in Luipl, she would have shared the same worries. Most of what Zekiel accomplished was hard to believe without seeing it yourself.
"... ."
At last, Anes opened her eyes.
─Do you think he's lost his mind?
─Anes, don't tell me you think otherwise?
─No. He's definitely not in his right mind.
The flood of telepathies pouring toward Anes halted all at once. Unable to grasp her intent, everyone was thrown into confusion.
─However.
─This Tower's Inspector is no fool, either.
No further replies came after that.
But then.
Realizing she'd only sung praises, it felt a bit embarrassing.
─...By the way, I don't like that Inspector much.
Anes hurriedly added that last bit.
A week. The 2nd Princess Hedera had worried herself sick countless times.
Ever since learning of Zekiel's health, her mind hadn't been at ease—and since she'd been the one to propose the bet, the guilt gnawed even deeper. What if something went wrong?
─The Inspector has returned.
As expected, Zekiel, who had left for Luipl, came back after just half a day. Had his condition worsened in the meantime?
Half a day—practically early dismissal.
Hedera inwardly was convinced of Balton's victory. No need to think twice. One who stayed a day in Luipl versus one who stayed a week—the results were obvious.
...She didn't want Zekiel to suffer any disadvantages.
To keep him from the worst outcome, Hedera had racked her brains through sleepless nights.
Worried, agonized, fretted over and over.
Fortunately, the torment of squeezing out ideas didn't last long. A brilliant solution popped into her head like a lightbulb flickering on.
'A draw.'
Yes, make it a draw.
Hedera was the 2nd Princess, after all—she had free access to at least the first floor of the Imperial Treasury. She could hand out rewards to both sides and call it even.
Once that idea struck, her worries vanished clean away.
How could they not?
No loser, just two winners—neither side lost anything, only gained heaps. No reason for anyone to refuse, no matter how you sliced it.
With this method, things would surely go exactly as Hedera planned. No room for error. Or so she'd thought.
Just moments ago, when Zekiel stepped into the hall, Hedera felt an unfamiliar sensation. It was inevitable.
No hint of defeat in his eyes, just calm indifference. No—perhaps utter apathy toward everything. He showed no interest in anything, merely chewing on sunweed.
For the first time in ages, she felt unease.
Had he grown weary of it all, become listless and lost all drive? It unnerved her.
Seeing him disregard even his own health for Hedera's happiness tugged at her heart. Out of guilt if nothing else, she swiftly offered him an out.
─Your Highness, we can't do that!
Balton's reaction was as expected, but it didn't matter. As her guard knight, a little coaxing would bring him around.
However.
The shocking turn happened right then.
Right before Hedera's eyes. Blatantly.
"Please, just stick to the original agreement."
Thud—something heavy crashed down like a death knell.
Why respond like that? Hedera prided herself on her wits, and the opportunity she'd offered was the result of meticulous calculations.
But among all possibilities, she hadn't foreseen Zekiel rejecting it so openly.
Of course not. His health was in shambles, wasn't it?
Not quite a panacea, but the Imperial Treasury's first floor held plenty that could help him. Didn't he need that? Wasn't this a chance to seize with both hands?
Or was he just bluffing, playing hard to get? Doubt clouded Hedera's eyes.
But soon she realized that wasn't it.
What showed on Zekiel's face was pure sincerity. No matter what Hedera thought, he simply chewed his sunweed steadily, awaiting the announcement.
"... ."
Should she turn the offer into an order? But that was a last resort, too forced even by her own standards.
There was nothing more Hedera could do now.
"...Got it."
All that remained was to hear the results.
Just one thing occupied her mind: if Zekiel grew despondent over this loss, how should she treat him?
"Yes. We'll announce our results first, then."
Balton showed proper decorum.
"We subjugated 104 low-grade magical beasts."
A lower number than expected—everyone wondered—but
"The circumstances in Luipl were as follows—"
Balton's detailed explanation revealed why. Luipl had been far different from expectations, and after combing every inch for a week, that was the yield.
"... ."
Hedera grew anxious.
Balton holding the advantage—it was predicted, expected even. Yet despite foreseeing it, she couldn't shake the feeling.
Would Zekiel step down as Inspector?
And vanish again?
Captured by such thoughts, she saw Zekiel looking resolute, almost serene. She dreaded hearing whatever decision he'd reached.
"Our turn now."
And at last, Zekiel spoke.
Thud—Hedera's heart jolted.
...Once his defeat was confirmed, what reaction should she show? Feign disappointment and lose interest, as usual?
But knowing his situation, how could she? Should she comfort him instead? Was that allowed for her, who must remain utterly impartial?
Thud, thud, thud...
Her heart pounded harder amid the swirling worries.
But the standoff didn't drag on. Zekiel nodded at Anes, and his secretary produced something.
"... ."
Silence flowed through the grand hall.
No one had yet grasped what it was, merely staring at what Anes held up.
"... ."
And shortly after.
Once everyone confirmed its identity with their own eyes.
"Results: one high-grade demon beast slain."
Zekiel's report was utterly straightforward.
"And in the process, the Luipl region was fully purified."
Hedera's assumption had been wrong from the very start.