Chapter 40
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 40
Chapter Title: A Guest More Precious Than a Holy Relic! (1)
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Dawn.
The Imperial Magic Tower was in an uproar from early morning.
“Th-the Empire's angel...?”
“The 3rd Princess has come to the Magic Tower again?”
“You fools, instead of panicking, show some manners! How dare you act like that right in front of Her Highness!”
The reason was simple.
Solana had visited the Magic Tower without any prior notice—again.
“It's fine. Just act as you normally would. As you normally would.”
Of course, the 3rd Princess herself was kindly soothing the mages in return, with a gentle smile. From the start, she had come to the tower for a different reason altogether.
The Magic Tower's inspector, Zekiel—naturally, it was him.
“...Solana?”
Zekiel happened to step into the corridor just then. He had a schedule today that required him to head to the Imperial Palace.
“Ah, there you are!”
The 3rd Princess's eyes immediately lit up.
Upon spotting Zekiel, Solana beamed and lifted up the basket in her hand.
“You haven't had breakfast yet, have you?”
.
.
.
.
.
.
Clatter— clatter—
Inside the carriage heading to the Imperial Palace.
They said it prioritized comfort over speed. Indeed, the interior was practically a drawing room.
Zekiel and Solana.
The two sat facing each other. This shared ride hadn't been on the schedule at all, and on the table between them sat the bento boxes Solana had personally prepared, laid out neatly.
“I hope it suits your taste.”
“Delicious. You were always good at cooking, just like before.”
Solana smiled at Zekiel's praise.
“Really? You're not just saying that? I'm so happy.”
“Yeah.”
Having breakfast with a princess inside a carriage bound for the Imperial Palace—what a complete turnaround from just a short while ago. My whole life had changed, Zekiel quietly realized.
The meal continued in silence for a while.
Solana, who had been quietly chewing her food without a sound, suddenly paused and blinked her eyes like a startled rabbit.
“...Why are you staring at me like that? Do I have something on my face?”
“No, just...”
Zekiel shook his head.
“I didn't expect to be riding to the palace with you.”
“Ahaha, it wasn't planned, but I prepared it in a hurry.”
Solana wore a faint smile.
“The moment I heard that the 2nd Princess had rushed up to the Imperial Palace, I whipped up these bento boxes. I couldn't miss a chance to ride alone with you in a carriage, could I?”
She pressed her index finger to her lips, pondering her words.
“But meeting openly where there are so many eyes would cause trouble.... So I used my head a bit. Cultured people would call it a secret rendezvous or something like that.”
“Not rendezvous—tryst.”
“Ah, tryst. Tryst.... It's morning, so I'm still sleepy....”
Solana covered her mouth with her hand and glanced away, letting out a laugh. She was just as charming as ever today.
Zekiel pulled out a stalk of Sunweed from his pocket. He habitually brought it to his lips but hesitated upon seeing Solana.
However, Solana waved it off instead.
“It's fine. I know all about your situation, Teacher.”
“...Let me know if the smell bothers you.”
Crunch. The Sunweed popped softly in his mouth.
“So, why did Hedera rush up there?”
“I heard she had something urgent to prepare. Probably related to the Ascension Ceremony? Well, even if it's not that, she's always busy. The 2nd Princess, I mean.”
“They should've prepared the palace treasury well too.”
“Hee hee hee, I heard. You won the bet?”
Solana smiled warmly and pulled something out.
“Ta-da! But I have something for you too.”
Zekiel received a single sheet of paper from her.
It was small. But the decorations were excessively ornate.
[ Zekiel ]
[ Show your face once a month. ]
[ I will inspect the progress on the five conditions. ]
Just as the sun doesn't need to introduce itself as the sun, there was no sender listed, but the identity was clear.
It was a letter from His Imperial Majesty.
Solana's eyes sparkled with curiosity.
“What does it say?”
“He just wants to see my face. Periodically.”
“Hmm, he likes fruit. Might be helpful.”
Zekiel barely swallowed the retort that nearly escaped him. That guy? In any case, it was quite surprising.
“...I'll keep that in mind.”
Whoosh—
As he exhaled the Sunweed smoke, Solana quietly extended her upturned palm toward the ceiling.
“Teacher, me too.”
“What?”
“You have to show me your hand periodically. We did it often when we were kids, remember? Clinic playtime.”
That's right.
They'd done it countless times, but the roles never changed. I was the patient, Solana the healer. Still the same.
A moment later.
Solana's expression grew subtly complicated as she checked his condition.
“Teacher.”
“I'm listening.”
“...Incredibly, you've gotten even stronger since then.”
To an ordinary person, it would be the best news imaginable. But for me, the circumstances were a bit different. It also meant the chill my body couldn't handle had grown that much thicker.
“Yeah? Guess my death is creeping closer.”
“No, it's not like that. I'll find a way somehow. His Imperial Majesty will change his mind too.”
Solana flashed a bright smile.
“Don't worry about that part. Let's talk about something else. How's life as an inspector? Are you satisfied?”
“Whether I am or not, I have to do it. It's the mess I got myself into.”
“That's not right! You should be satisfied!”
Solana puffed out one cheek.
“Remember the letter you sent me? You remember every single word, right?”
“Of course.”
“What was the very last character?”
“...”
The man's jaw paused mid-chew on the Sunweed.
No way he remembered. It was sent in a drunken haze.
He couldn't not answer, so he came up with a plausible guess. If it were him, he'd probably end sentences with “─da” a lot. Not certain, but...
“Da.”
“...Da?”
Sunflower-like radiant holy power.
It cooled slightly.
“...”
A brief silence flowed.
—We've arrived!
Just then, the coachman announced their arrival.
“Next... time, when we have some leisure, let's finish the talk.”
“Sounds good. But next time, I'll ask for the entire last line. You're free to go if that's okay.”
“...”
One character to an entire line. An outrageous escalation.
“Of course it's okay.”
With those words, Zekiel left the carriage.
Now alone inside the carriage.
Solana elegantly took a sip of her tea.
“Haa.”
Only then did she relax her tension with a long exhale. No matter how many times she reminded herself, she always ended up excited or nervous in front of her teacher. It was always like this.
“...You do remember. Teacher.”
Solana smiled faintly.
It ends with “da.”
That was the correct answer.
The letter's very last character had indeed been “da.”
The 3rd Princess slowly began reminiscing about the past.
—Solana, there's nothing left for me to teach you.
—Holy power is something you have to awaken on your own.
When she heard those words, it hurt like a lightning strike.
For Solana, who wanted to stay by her teacher's side forever, were there any more despairing words? She cried, clung, tried every trick in the book, but it was no use.
—Teacher, this power you guided me to...!
—Your holy power is remarkable.
—You might even become the greatest.
The greatest.
When she heard that word, Solana thought to herself.
Doesn't “the greatest” refer to you, Teacher?
From that day on, Solana harbored one single goal and plan, and she pursued it with desperate fervor.
—What remarkable holy power...!
—You might even become a saintess.
Is this all it takes to be remarkable?
No, our teacher was far more remarkable.
—3rd Princess, this time in the Crati region...!
—We need your power, 3rd Princess!
Incidents that shook the continent.
None of them were impressive. None could compare to her teacher. At least, that's how Solana felt.
—Look at her beauty! The very face of the Empire!
—An angel! An angel! The Empire's angel!
—Ahh, Saintess...!
This fame isn't mine to have.
Teacher.
It's fame that you deserve.
—Solana. I acknowledge your abilities.
—As emperor, I grant you this much authority.
So she moved tirelessly, and in the end, she obtained it.
For Solana's plan, authority came first.
For Zekiel to rightfully claim the fame he deserved.
For Zekiel to rightfully obtain the happiness that was his.
For Zekiel to finally find the position that suited him.
Yes, that was Solana's plan above all.
‘Teacher, am I being too presumptuous?’
But Solana wasn't as devout as others thought. Ever since she set foot on the path of a saint, she had never once prayed to the Sun God.
—Please let Teacher find the place that is rightfully his.
Zekiel.
Her prayers were solely for him. All of them.
This world was far too unfair.
So, she would create a stage for Zekiel.
That was the mission Solana harbored deep in her heart.
Even recently, good news kept coming. He was already making waves at the Imperial Magic Tower, and now he'd even won against the knights in that performance bet.
Solana suddenly pulled out the letter from her bosom.
She read the last line again and again.
[ I sometimes think. ]
[ I want to become the best, one everyone acknowledges—blatantly so. ]
“Yes, Teacher.”
Solana quietly nodded.
“Soon, it will be. Blatantly so.”
Inside the carriage, a blooming smile spread.