Chapter 47
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 47
Chapter Title: A Guest More Precious Than a Holy Relic! (8)
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After that, Rekon's attacks continued countless times.
However, not a single one reached Zekiel. Every strike he unleashed froze solid without fail, and naturally, the air filled with countless shards of ice.
"Let's end this. I'm getting tired of holding back."
Zekiel's curt words.
Ssssh—!
A chilling aura surged around Zekiel.
Even those ignorant of magic could vaguely sense its magnitude. It was already a realm far above Rekon's.
Thwish!
A massive ice spear tore through the air.
Thud—!
"A-Ack!"
The arrow piercing his shoulder didn't lose any momentum as it carried Rekon all the way to the distant wall before embedding itself. A thud echoed as cracks spiderwebbed across the wall near his body.
Zekiel tilted his head thoughtfully.
'A guy who knew nothing of magic... in just three days...'
No matter how much of a dragonkin Rekon was, he was still a total novice who had only just touched magic.
Yet in a mere three days, he'd reached that level of power. If a seasoned practitioner had traded their soul, they would have gained a force incomparably greater.
'The Imperial Magic Tower has a long way to go. We need teachings that will drastically elevate the mages' levels.'
To fulfill the conditions set by His Imperial Majesty, merely standing out among humans wouldn't suffice. They had to reach farther, higher.
One day, they'd have to contend with dragonkin too, so from now on, more systematic training was essential.
Zekiel was already thinking like an Inspector.
'Time is short. As quickly as possible.'
His own lifespan wasn't long, either.
...There was only one way. He had to do it faster, much faster.
Zekiel gestured with his chin at the ice shards still floating in the air—Rekon's frozen strikes, preserved perfectly.
"I've kept them as intact as possible. Take them and use them as magic research material. They'll surely be a great help."
Not just a plain victory, but one that yielded profit.
To Zekiel, a profitable victory was exactly this—something that could contribute to human magic studies.
"..."
The surrounding area remained steeped in silence.
A human, an Inspector of the Imperial Magic Tower, had faced a dragonkin.
Zekiel had predicted his victory from the start, but those around him hadn't. Their wide-eyed faces were filled with undisguisable shock.
Zekiel now nodded toward Rekon.
"Someone should take care of him. It's unbecoming for such a noble dragonkin to be left dangling like this in lowly human lands."
Only then did one of the dragonkin step forward to handle the aftermath. Rekon was still hanging limply from the wall.
Those who had watched finally began to speak.
"What... What in the world just happened?"
"A human beat a dragonkin...? Without a scratch?"
"As expected of Her Highness's discerning eye!"
"And even preserved the dragonkin's magic in the process. A true educator. How impressive...!"
A noisy commotion erupted.
Of course, 2nd Princess Hedera was just as astonished.
"..."
Having witnessed Zekiel's abilities since childhood, she had no doubt about his victory.
In the first place, her own power wasn't so low that she needed to show deference to Gromon's group. She was confident she could win in a direct confrontation.
However.
'A once-in-a-lifetime Ascension Ceremony. I must be fully prepared.'
There were no second chances at the Ascension Ceremony, so causing a scene would be the most troublesome for her.
Besides, Gromon was a fairly prominent elder among the dragonkin. It was best to get along until the ceremony ended.
Thus, she had known Zekiel would win from the start.
But what truly surprised her...
Was his demeanor as an Inspector.
'It's eating away at his own lifespan. There was no need for him to step in, yet he gave it his all.'
Putting duty before his own life.
In truth, he could have explained that Solana had appointed him and brushed it off without repercussions, but Zekiel had stepped up willingly.
Probably for her sake.
His willingness to disregard his own life for her sake—it grated on her. Gratitude mixed with complicated emotions welled up.
Just then, Zekiel rubbed his brow as if annoyed. Hedera couldn't ignore it and quickly approached.
"...You didn't have to step in. You don't look well. Worry about your own health."
Was her gratitude clumsy? Her concern came out sharp instead.
Zekiel flicked his eyes toward her.
"My health, you say?"
"Yes. Your health."
"It's like pouring water into a leaky jar. No matter how much I pour in, my constitution can't hold it. Nothing to be done but focus on more meaningful work."
One more good deed.
Those words lodged strangely in Hedera's heart.
'For my happiness.'
Until his dying breath, heedless of his health, he'd do one more thing for her happiness. That's how it sounded to her.
So, in the end.
Hedera made a momentous decision.
'I haven't heard why he left me, what happened during that gap. But...'
It was probably due to his terminal condition.
If Zekiel died, she'd lose even the chance to hear his story, and she couldn't just stand by and watch his efforts for her...
"About that promise of the holy relic from the first floor."
Hedera took a deep breath before continuing.
"Let's call it off. Instead, I'll substitute it with Sun Dew."
"...Sun Dew?"
"You know what Sun Dew is, right? The elixir said to grant any being a supreme constitution. Only His Imperial Majesty and the 1st Princess have ever used it."
Zekiel hadn't asked out of ignorance.
"That... to me?"
What he had been promised originally was the holy relic on the first floor of the treasury. But now the reward had leaped to an incomparable level.
Even the holy relics on the highest third floor paled against Sun Dew. No, nothing that existed could compare to it.
Hedera cleared her throat a couple of times.
"...I'll propose it to His Imperial Majesty first. We might get even just one drop. Even one drop is immense. Beyond imagination."
"Miss, are you serious right now?"
Zekiel reacted without thinking.
Sun Dew was that absurd.
Over half the continent's population didn't even believe it existed. It was something he couldn't have dreamed of even while groveling like a dog for the imperial family.
'I'll see His Majesty soon anyway.'
They'd agreed to meet once a month.
Even one drop absorbed would visibly improve his body. Of course, he regretted his words immediately.
In his rare shock, the old term from his teaching days had slipped out.
"..."
Silence flowed between them.
"M-Miss...?"
Hedera's expression went blank for a moment.
Her cheeks flushed ever so slightly, and she foolishly worked her mouth. Thank goodness for the mask.
She glanced around hurriedly, but fortunately, no one had overheard. Another relief.
"..."
Hedera yanked her mask up to cover even her eyes. A cough was bonus.
"It's a reward for your utmost dedication as Inspector. Don't get the wrong idea.... Anyway...."
Awkward conversation resumed when.
A dragonkin approached them. Gromon.
"I always thought your talk of human potential was just an excuse to back down. Yet you've been raising a mage like this behind the scenes."
"I didn't raise him."
"Modest too? As expected of the 2nd Princess."
Gromon turned to Zekiel.
"You're the Imperial Magic Tower's Inspector, right?"
Zekiel pondered briefly.
Speak informally? Formally?
...Informal wasn't his nature, but formal felt awkward too. Better endure it. There were many eyes watching.
"Yes."
"Thanks for the rare spectacle. Affinity with spirits, freezing techniques... all astonishing. It'll motivate Rekon greatly."
But his words didn't end in mere praise.
"Still, remember this. Rekon knew nothing of magic and reached that level in three days. Imagine what a soul trade from someone of your caliber would produce."
"Soul trading again? Enough."
Hedera finally lost her patience and intervened.
"Gromon, even my patience has limits."
"I admit I pressed too eagerly. With such a rare gem sparkling before my eyes... I couldn't help it."
"I can take that as you glimpsing human potential? Then drop the soul trading talk."
But.
Gromon shook his head firmly.
"Princess, that's not it."
The dragonkin continued calmly.
"Having confirmed human potential, I'll write the recommendation as promised. But that doesn't mean you should refuse a soul trade."
"...What?"
"Don't you need the bonus for ancient Dragon Words? You saw Rekon with your own eyes. What heights would you reach?"
Gromon snapped his fingers, and a stone tablet materialized in the air. Zekiel examined it too.
'Ancient Dragon Words.'
Ancient Dragon Words were literally the ancient ones' means of communication—hardly a language. More like hieroglyphs etched with traces of magic.
In an era without script, they conversed by leaving magical afterimages on walls.
Like the mark of an ice spike grazing by, or a sawblade wind brushing past. Of course, ancient magic's power was overwhelming.
Could this even be called magic?
It felt like traces left by a god's judgment.
"At the last Ascension Ceremony, there was a very promising dragonkin. Cromu—you've heard the name. But he failed, didn't he?"
"..."
"Because he couldn't master these ancient Dragon Words. That's how fierce the Ascension Ceremony is. Near-perfection can't beat true perfection."
Among countless competitors, only one passed the Ascension Ceremony to become a true dragon.
Yet the reason they challenged it was singular.
The moment they became a dragon, after all hardships, they transcended to overlook the entire continent. Hedera yearned for that.
Gromon set the stone tablet down.
"I'll leave the tablet. Think it over. You have exactly one day from now."
Gromon turned to leave, but.
"Wait."
Zekiel stopped him.
Zekiel thought.
Hedera undoubtedly needed to solve the ancient Dragon Words puzzle to pass the Ascension Ceremony.
But at the same time.
She must never touch sorcery.
As Gromon finally turned back.
Zekiel made a decision inwardly.
"The Princess couldn't decipher this tablet? Sounds absurd. Perhaps you wished to humbly downplay your own realm."
Hedera's eyes widened too.
Zekiel's words were, of course, a complete lie.
Unlike deferring to dragonkin to avoid trouble despite her high power.
This tablet—she truly hadn't deciphered it yet.
Gromon's eyebrow twitched.
"...You feigned ignorance after already deciphering it? To spare my embarrassment? Is that what you're saying, Inspector?"
"Yes."
Hedera's gaze questioned his intent, but Zekiel casually looked away.
No way.
Had he already seen something in the tablet?
Something even she hadn't, and so quickly?
"Then show us right now? I need to see the Princess decipher it to believe."
Zekiel didn't answer Gromon.
Instead, he just slipped a Sunweed into his mouth.
"Of course."
At the same time.
Hedera read something in the man's eyes.
Those blue eyes she'd seen years ago.
...They were unmistakably the eyes of her master.