Chapter 49
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 49
Chapter Title: Sunwater (1)
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Hedera suddenly scanned the faces of the dragonkin.
Their expressions were a tangled mess of suspicion, wariness... all sorts of negative emotions. They had never wanted her to succeed in the first place.
However, Zekiel.
There wasn't the slightest trace of negativity in Zekiel's gaze. Just eyes overflowing with boundless trust. As if whatever Hedera accomplished was nothing more than a simple matter of fact.
...Hedera suddenly turned her thoughts inward.
For Hedera, who had lived accepting her own mediocrity, an immense talent had suddenly dropped into her lap one day. After that, she had merely polished it—nothing more.
In other words, she had never once surpassed her limits.
But there was one person.
The only one who pushed Hedera to her limits.
Only Zekiel had ever driven her into cornered situations, forcing her to advance step by step. Every time.
A dragon, the transcendent being that loftily overlooked the entire continent.
Its overwhelming power needed no explanation, the incarnation of wisdom that advanced solely on reason and intuition.
Just as a dragon shattered its tiny world of an egg to greet the world, she too could not pass the Ascension Ritual without breaking the small worlds that confined her.
So today, Zekiel had once again played the role of her teacher. Just like on that day years ago.
Hedera had been slyly avoiding it all this time.
Vaguely, with fuzzy excuses to soothe herself, she had neglected developing the ancient dragon words. Because she feared confronting her own lack of talent.
"... ."
She scanned her surroundings once more.
Zekiel, sending her infinite trust. The people embracing heaps of expectation. She saw it all.
Just witnessing that scene...
Sss...
Something hot welled up from the depths of Hedera's chest. It soon transformed into a vivid energy. A passion, blazing after so long, had ignited.
Time had slipped into dawn.
Hedera, cloaked in moonlight like a garment, finally placed her hand on the stone tablet. It was an utterly ordinary motion, nothing special.
However.
Wung— wung—
The ancient stone tablet began to resonate in response. The onlookers' eyes widened impossibly further.
"It's resonating!"
"The tablet's reacting!"
Tension and anticipation amplified, but Hedera's energy stalled, unable to progress further.
"Hoo..."
Her breathing grew ragged. Indeed, it was the ancient dragon words. Now she understood why they were known for their infernal difficulty.
Everyone watched the Second Princess with anxious expressions.
Moments later, Gromon spoke up.
"Your Highness, is something not going well?"
The dragonkin continued with a meaningful smile.
"I said the ancient dragon words are never a field achieved through effort alone. Talent plays such an overwhelming role. It would be a pity to leave it like this."
Hedera closed her eyes slightly instead of answering.
"With so many eyes watching, we can't send them away disappointed. Let's proceed with the soul deal at once. It won't take long—you can achieve it immediately."
Hedera slowly opened her eyes.
Vertically slit pupils that weren't human. The corners of her mouth, hidden behind the mask, curled up. A sneer toward Gromon, and conviction toward herself.
"Your Highness, make your decision quickly..."
"Shut your mouth."
A retort without the slightest honorific.
Gromon clamped his mouth shut.
He furrowed his brow as if no human had ever addressed a dragonkin this way, but Hedera simply focused.
What was best for her.
What she had to do.
Who hindered her, who helped her.
Now, she knew clearer than anyone.
Kugugugugu—!
The tablet beneath her hand began to shake violently.
Puk—!
The stone tablet shattered downward.
Trapped within was an illusory spell of some kind. A long body, wrapped in moonlight, soared endlessly into the sky.
A single dragon circled the moon once, then gazed down below with eyes sharper than the moonlight itself. Everyone grasped what the illusion signified.
Ascension.
It was an illusion capturing the form of ascension.
Not reality, yet more beautiful for its fantastical nature. A miniature illusory ascension bloomed by Hedera's hand. As everyone's mouths gaped blankly,
the dragonkin swiftly prostrated themselves, bowing their heads.
"We behold the dragon's potential, the future of ascension...!"
A week later.
At the Imperial Magic Tower, I finished my personal training from dawn.
Even after a lifetime devoted solely to freezing magic, new discoveries kept emerging—that was the charm of it. There was still room for improvement, so I'd been diligent.
"Training again from dawn?"
It was my dedicated secretary, Anes, whom I ran into in the corridor.
Her sharply trimmed bob like a blade, the cube clutched in one hand, the notepad she occasionally checked. She looked exactly as usual.
"Were you looking for me?"
"Yes. I have a report."
"In the office."
The path to the office was incredibly noisy.
The incident at the treasure vault entrance a week ago, with so many witnesses, was bound to spark rumors. Thanks to that, talk about me overflowed even today.
"It's the Inspector! They say he did something incredible!"
"He subdued a spirit like it was nothing."
"He helped the Second Princess achieve enlightenment!"
"Word's spread through the capital that the Imperial Magic Tower's Inspector is no ordinary man! Business is booming because of it!"
A far cry from the reactions right after my appointment.
Perhaps because it happened in the Imperial Palace, involving a princess and dragonkin. The impact was enormous. Wizards eager to curry favor had multiplied.
"I-Insp-Inspector, sir. Someone wants to ask you something..."
"Could you just glance at this scroll for me?"
"I want to learn freezing magic too. Please...!"
I couldn't entertain them all individually.
"Later. I have a lot to do."
I sent them off with brief words. No lies or excuses—I was genuinely swamped.
Of course, part of me felt a fresh sense of emotion.
—Zekiel, you must not reveal your existence.
—You are the shadow of the Imperial Palace. Remember that.
In the distant past, hadn't I poured everything into hiding my identity? Being able to openly bask in fame now felt utterly bizarre.
Lost in such thoughts, I arrived at the office.
Anes immediately set down a stack of documents.
"Well done, first off. The tower's image shifts with the Inspector's reputation, and this incident has notably elevated the Yellow Tower's status."
"You can give compliments too? News to me."
"I'm just stating facts. No personal bias."
Anes cleared her throat and pointed to the documents.
"Anyway, perhaps because of that influence—with only three days left until the inter-tower exchange—something unexpected has come up."
"Unexpected? Tell me."
"The Black Tower is sending an envoy. Whether it's interest from the treasure vault incident or some other scheme, I wouldn't know."
"Is sending an envoy common for them?"
"Envoys from the Black Tower are exceedingly rare."
I nodded first. No reason to fear or refuse.
"Next is contact from the Ruifel region. They want to express their gratitude but asked what the Inspector desires, since they don't know."
"Tell them to focus on their Sunweed farming."
"Really relay it like that?"
I stared at Anes silently instead of answering.
"...Understood."
Anes gathered the documents with telekinesis.
"Now, the final item. It's not confirmed—just a rumor."
"You wouldn't bring it up without reason. Let's hear it."
"The Second Princess hasn't been seen for a week, has she? Word is, she entered His Imperial Majesty's audience chamber and hasn't emerged."
"A full week in the Emperor's audience chamber?"
I wondered what they could possibly discuss for a week.
"... ."
Something clicked in my mind soon enough.
—Sunwater. You said you'd propose it.
Sunwater. Just recalling it sharpened my focus.
At the same time, I reviewed the conditions His Imperial Majesty had set.
Suddenly, I recalled the conditions the Emperor had laid out.
First, surpass Ether in strength.
Second, become more precious than Hedera.
Third, prove more faithful than Solana.
Fourth, amass more wealth than Chain.
Fifth, reach a higher magical realm than Neo.
Fortunately, my skills and talent weren't lacking, so I'd made progress. But the one thought that dominated while striving to meet them was singular.
'Demand a long-term game.'
These weren't things achievable in a short time.
For Zekiel, with limited lifespan allowed, it was a real headache. If only the time issue could be resolved, my chances would skyrocket.
...But what if I could access Sunwater?
Even groveling like a dog in the Imperial Palace days, I'd never dared mention or wish for Sunwater. It was that precious—an elixir granting humans immortality.
Was Hedera discussing Sunwater as well?
If so, what would be the Emperor's decision?
Thinking back, the letter had stemmed from the injustice of my death, written with a secret hope for Sunwater. Could it truly change my life in the end?
"Anes."
"Yes?"
I quietly placed a Sunweed in my mouth.
"I need to be alone for a bit."
"Yes. I'll withdraw immediately."
After Anes left, I exhaled smoke.
Something worn thin inside my heart stirred.
A feeling I hadn't experienced in ages—yearning.
That night.
I received a letter with shocking contents.
[Come see me at once.]
[We will discuss you and the Sunwater.]
It was none other than a missive from His Imperial Majesty.