Chapter 52
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 52
Chapter Title: Sunwater (4)
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Dominan Gorge lay opposite Cullinan Gorge.
The attendant stood by Ether's side as she gazed into the distance.
As always, the 1st Princess showed no fear, but there was a hint of curiosity in her demeanor.
"Is something bothering you, Your Highness?"
Ether's gaze shifted to the attendant.
The 1st Princess stood over two meters tall, her snow-white hair framing eyes that gleamed like molten gold, exuding an overwhelming presence that nearly made the attendant buckle at the knees.
He managed to ask without meeting her eyes directly.
"Are you concerned about this match? You'll surely win, Your Highness. What is there to worry about?"
"Victory is a given for me—nothing more, nothing less."
Ether examined the armband on her left arm.
The event was armband capture.
But it was far from ordinary. For one, they were positioned at extreme distances from each other.
"However, it seems my opponent fears me not at all."
"...Pardon? How could that be?"
Ether nodded silently.
From now on, they would unleash long-range attacks from Cullinan Gorge here and Dominan Gorge over there.
The victory conditions were simple.
Destroy the opponent's armband or force their surrender.
Yet each location had its unique traits.
"Cullinan Gorge here is high ground. You know that, right?"
"Yes. Far higher than Dominan Gorge."
"In exchange, Dominan Gorge is shrouded in thick fog."
Just as Cullinan Gorge offered the advantage of elevation where Ether stood, Dominan Gorge was blanketed in fog that made evasion easier.
"But that fog would hinder him as well."
That was what bothered Ether.
Hiding in the fog might conceal him, but it would also obscure his own vision. It wasn't purely an advantage.
This matchup actually favored her, didn't it?
Like yielding the first move in chess to a novice—as if conceding she was the underdog.
"He knows all this full well, yet he finds it intriguing."
"Pardon?"
"He knows it's me he's facing and that he's starting at a disadvantage. And still, he crawls into the ring..."
"Must have guts spilling out of his belly."
The attendant furrowed his brow in disbelief.
The 1st Princess Ether's achievements in subjugation campaigns were already legendary, her titles multiplying by the day. To challenge her?
"Coveting the imperial elixir. He must know that means coveting mine..."
The attendant's face twisted in disgust.
"One of two things, then. Either he doesn't know his place, or he craves that elixir that badly..."
"Well, it doesn't matter now."
"Pardon?"
"As I said, victory is mine by default."
Ether assumed her stance.
The 1st Princess held no weapon in her hands, yet a tremendous aura had gathered, taking the form of a bow.
The attendant stared in awe. The sheer power resonating through the air was so immense it was hard to believe it came from a fellow human.
Slowly, Ether nocked an arrow onto the string.
"I'll end it swiftly with one strike."
Chiiiik—
A thick cigar clenched between the 1st Princess's teeth ignited.
"I'm a busy woman. Got an important letter to attend to."
In Dominan Gorge, he had even spread out a picnic mat and sat down.
Hedera and Solana remained glued to Zekiel's sides, while the apple still hovered in midair. It seemed His Imperial Majesty was peering at them through it.
Zekiel found the situation awkward.
Solana, seated to his left, patted his arm gently, oblivious to his discomfort.
"Teacher, were you planning to eat it peel and all? I'll pare it for you. Just eat."
Solana's knife skills were exquisite. With just a few deft motions, the apple was stripped bare, revealing its pristine flesh.
Hedera clicked her tongue.
"Showing off with such a trivial skill."
"Showing off? I just want Teacher to enjoy it more. You seem overly tense... Ah, I think I know why."
Solana smiled brightly.
"Unpeeled fruit, undercooked meat, half-baked bread... You've always scarfed down whatever was at hand, haven't you, 2nd Princess? Are you a dragon or a pig?"
"...That was ages ago. I don't do that anymore."
Zekiel quietly turned his head to the right.
The apple floating in the air remained unpeeled. At least the Emperor preferred to eat them whole.
Sakak...
Soon, a portion of the apple's peel was shaved off. It seemed he was pondering whether to peel it or not.
"..."
Zekiel sprang into action. He snatched the apple from Solana's hand in one swift motion.
"I like eating them like this. It's easier."
"Oh, really? Then we must respect Teacher's preference. I'll just cut it into bite-sized pieces."
Sakak— Sakak—
Only then did the apple on the right vanish completely.
'This is harder than the match.'
Could he win the Emperor's favor?
It would be nice if he could—one drop of sunwater might become two. But avoiding his ire would be fortune enough.
He decided it was best to send the princesses back. Their presence only bred discomfort.
"Your Imperial Majesty, has the match already begun?"
"It has. Each has five attack opportunities. Fail to settle it within, and it's a draw—no elixir for either."
Zekiel nodded.
"Then the princesses should withdraw. I'll be using the entire gorge as my battlefield."
The apple-eating paused abruptly.
'Don't send them away? What does he want?'
Zekiel hastily added to his words.
"...Just a little distance from me is fine. About the same as between me and Your Majesty."
A subtle invitation to the Emperor's side.
Sakak— Sakak—
The apple disappeared faster.
Good so far, but then it turned disastrous again.
"This should be enough, right?"
"I'll pray from here."
The princesses had indeed distanced themselves—but to the opposite side of the Emperor. Zekiel now stood midway between the distant Emperor and the princesses.
"Hm."
Zekiel quietly wiped his face with his palm. When was the last time sweat beaded his brow?
The apple fixed in midair.
The Emperor's evident discomfort.
"..."
Zekiel soon devised a clever plan.
"Gatherings like this are rare indeed."
He fashioned an easel from ice, pulled a scroll from his robes, unrolled it atop the stand, and made his proposal.
"Allow me to paint your portraits."
"...Portraits?"
"Yes. Please gather round."
A way to employ his talent while drawing the princesses to the Emperor's side. Yes, it was the best option for now.
The two princesses showed immediate interest, swiftly moving to sit beside the Emperor.
"Portraits? Oh, what a precious gift! Even in this thick fog, you can capture my likeness perfectly?"
"It means your features are so plain they need no observation. And it's 'clearly,' not 'perfectly.'"
"Clearly, clearly... So he said."
Solana smiled indulgently as she parried.
"More importantly, why are you subtly shifting with your hips? I always wondered what use that piggishly massive fat had. So this is it."
Fearing an argument, he had no choice but to intervene.
"Those who sit still come out prettier."
Time seemed to freeze; the commotion died instantly.
"..."
An immense aura and determination emanated from the two women.
The fierce resolve to outshine the other.
Zekiel glanced at the fruit basket.
Only three apples remained. He could gauge the Emperor's mood in real-time just three more times.
Sakak— Sakak—
The Emperor, whose mood seemed fine, spoke.
"Are you sure? The match has begun. You might get attacked mid-stroke."
"I'm fine, but the portrait might go unfinished."
Sakak...
The chewing slowed slightly.
"I'll work as quickly as possible."
Sakak— Sakak—
The Emperor's mood had improved. Now, the challenge was rendering his translucent form. A mere robe outline wouldn't satisfy.
'It has to amaze him. Absolutely.'
Magic and art—both Zekiel's passions.
Thus, he aimed beyond the ordinary. A portrait captivating enough to earn the Emperor's interest would surely yield rewards.
'And it might help discern his true nature.'
In short, he intended to maximize this opportunity.
"Your Imperial Majesty, how would you like to be portrayed?"
"As you see me. Isn't that right?"
No easy answers, as expected.
'He likes apples. Let's try this.'
Deformation—exaggeration in painting.
Zekiel employed it. Over the ornate robe, he painted the head as an apple.
"What are you doing now?"
'He's watching everything.'
He had sensed it upon entering the foggy gorge—the Emperor's perception was beyond mere broad vision.
"...Just warming up my hand."
He subtly repositioned the apple sketch. As if it had always been the floating apple, not a head.
Five minutes.
Ten minutes.
Thirty minutes.
Time flowed like water.
Surprisingly, the Emperor broke the silence first.
"Not an unpleasant experience. Looking back, I've never had a group portrait. Even my daughters' mothers left only death masks."
"I see. I'll put even more care into it."
Solana and Hedera were complete.
Rendered true to life, their beauty rivaled goddesses from myth—impossible to rank one above the other.
Now, one apple left in the basket.
Only the Emperor remained to paint.
But then.
Kwaaaaaaaa—!
A colossal roar tore through the air, drawing nearer.
Zekiel instantly gauged the projectile's trajectory, origin, speed, power. It was the 1st Princess, as expected.
He crunched down hard on the sunweed.
'Ether's strike.'
...The problem was its power.
The arrow Ether loosed could erase this place from the map. Safety wasn't guaranteed.
"A pity, Zekiel."
The Emperor had drawn perilously close.
"I had high hopes for the finished piece. Seems rushing it was impossible after all."
Still holding the last apple, the Emperor asked amid the incoming strike.
"Hard for everyone to survive that power, right?"
Kugugugugu—!
The earth-shaking roar.
A blow to upheave the land entire.
Yet the Emperor's voice rang strangely clear.
"So, what do you think of my daughters?"
Zekiel's gaze flicked behind the Emperor.
The two princesses slumbered peacefully—likely put to sleep forcibly by the Emperor in an instant.
Kugugu— Kugugugugu—!
Enough to devastate the area.
The Emperor intended to do nothing.
Time was short. One spell only, no long preparations.
"I'd love to hear your answer."
Had that been his curiosity all along?
In that fleeting moment, inspiration flashed.
Zekiel made his choice.
"The princesses' safety matters more than my life."
And the next instant.
Kwaaaaaaaaaa—!
The area was obliterated.
Dominan Gorge flipped entirely.
Tadak... Tadadak...
In the shattered Dominan Gorge, only the menacing crack of rocks from the shockwave filled the air.
Formless Emperor Verd.
He calmly surveyed the surroundings.
To overturn the earth and dispel all fog in one attack— the title of War God often prefixed to Ether's name was well-earned.
The Emperor quietly checked on the 2nd and 3rd Princesses.
"Oh ho, is this your answer?"
The two were safely encased in an ice barrier. In that brief moment allowing one spell, Zekiel had chosen to protect the princesses.
"Placing their lives above your own—commendable. But a bit disappointing."
The Emperor tossed and caught the apple.
"Plenty would risk their lives for the princesses. To protect them and claim victory—that was your task, as you well knew."
A fine answer, but only that.
Zekiel was dead. Surely.
"Indeed, the princesses' lives outweigh mine."
Yet.
"But that doesn't mean sacrificing my own."
Not his own voice.
A voice that shouldn't be audible.
"..."
The Emperor slowly scanned again.
One unexpected sight.
A man sensed as dead, yet not, painting before the easel.
An eerie figure.
Face caked in blood from his forehead, body gravely wounded... A corpse that should have collapsed, yet he smoked sunweed and carried on.
The art of masking one's presence as that of the dead.
Zekiel had achieved it.
"You've learned a strange trick. When did you pick that up?"
"Stay still."
Zekiel dared interrupt the Emperor's words and actions.
"For the portrait. Stay still if you want it pretty."
"Hah..."
The Emperor's breath held subtle nuance.
"Your Imperial Majesty."
Zekiel addressed the empire's pinnacle.
His eyes still on the scroll atop the easel.
"If I win, will you buy this painting?"
"At what price?"
"Sunwater."
Flick—!
The Emperor tossed and caught the apple in the air.
"Hah."
His breath grew even more profound.
A moment of silence.
In the center of the upturned gorge.
"Portrait complete. Victory in the match."
The Emperor asked quietly.
"You're saying you can protect two princesses and grasp these two victories with ease?"
"Yes."
A roguish grin on his blood-smeared face.
"Not difficult at all."
A smile impossible to hate.
Sak!
The bitten apple rang out crisply.
It was the Emperor's answer.
Acceptance granted.