Chapter 73
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 73
Chapter Title: Wanna Marry Me After I Rip Off Your Limbs? (11)
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Shwaaaaa!
A path woven from ice unfurled through the empty air.
Zekiel shot along it like an arrow.
"Teacher, how long do you plan on running?"
...
Until you give up!
"Stop this now. I just want to talk!"
"Talk my ass...!"
Zekiel glanced at Ether's reflection in the ice.
Sword in her left hand, axe in her right.
This was no ordinary conversation.
"No need to be shy. Today, let's just settle for a kiss!"
...
That's exactly what I can't let happen!
Shwaaaaa!
Ether shattered all the ice in a frenzy and pursued him at breakneck speed, but Zekiel traced acrobatic trajectories, slipping away like a ghost every time.
She nearly caught him, only for him to evade at the last second.
"Giving up yet? You can't catch me at your level."
It was meant as a plea for her to quit.
"...What did you say?"
But Ether's eyes widened instead.
The First Princess murmured in an icy tone.
"Fine. I get it. When I catch you, I'll squeeze every last bit out of you."
"...!"
Zekiel hurled himself forward desperately.
Shwaaaa!
Run, run, keep running...
Shwaaaaa!
Chase, chase, chase again...
The endless pursuit dragged on.
Finally, Zekiel made a decision.
...Looks like that's my only option.
Boom!
The one conclusion after much deliberation.
The place Zekiel threw himself into without hesitation.
None other than His Imperial Majesty's audience chamber.
Inside the Imperial Palace, the Emperor's audience chamber.
"...".
"...".
A subtle tension hung between the Emperor and Zekiel.
The Emperor on his throne broke the silence first.
"Now you're coming and going from my audience chamber like it's your own home."
"Well, I've never really had a place to call home."
"Hah. You've gotten even bolder."
It was a pointed remark about how the Emperor had never provided Zekiel with lavish quarters, but the Emperor didn't take offense. He just chuckled.
An apple floated up into the air.
"Here, care for an apple?"
"No thanks."
Now that he looked, the peel had been completely removed.
--Who the hell eats apples without peeling them?
Was he conscious of what Solana had said back then?
The Emperor spoke again.
"Then explain yourself. Why did you seek me out?"
"The First Princess is personally chasing me down."
"Not surprising at all. It was obvious this would happen."
A reaction even calmer than expected.
Zekiel couldn't help tilting his head slightly.
"...So you're permitting it now?"
"As if."
The Emperor snorted.
"I still have no desire to give my daughter to you."
Silence settled over the audience chamber.
The Holy Grail began to slowly rotate in midair.
"Don't mistake it for approval. I'm merely observing."
The Emperor's cold voice continued evenly.
"Zekiel, you're undoubtedly a brilliant mage."
"Mm."
"But whether you're a good man... that's still unclear."
Crunch!
One apple vanished in midair.
"Proposing to all five of them? That's a first."
"...".
Zekiel had no real rebuttal for that.
Who in their right mind would propose to five princesses, no less?
"What father would hand his daughter to a playboy? We had our prior agreement, and as Emperor, I prioritize my position, so I'm simply watching."
"...".
"Deal with your karma. Fulfill the conditions while you bear it."
Zekiel suddenly recalled the five conditions.
First, become stronger than Ether.
Second, become more precious than Hedera.
Third, become more faithful than Solana.
Fourth, amass more wealth than Chain.
Fifth, reach a higher magical realm than Neo.
"...".
Even just tangling with three princesses lately had caused chaos. And now, he had to tackle even greater feats to fulfill all five.
Crunch!
Another apple vanished in midair.
"Zekiel."
"Yes."
"I asked why you came to the audience chamber, but your answer was sorely lacking. Normally, you'd deserve punishment, but..."
The Holy Grail rippled in the air beside the throne.
"You're in luck. I happened to have business with you as well, so I'll let it slide today."
Snap.
A stone slab rose from the floor of the audience chamber, etched with a detailed map of the continent's key regions.
"Zekiel, I heard the five Magic Towers didn't submit their reports this time. Their intent is clear—they're hiding their secret techniques."
"That's how it seems to me too."
"Acquire them without missing a single one. This pardons your breach today and keeps me from interfering in the princesses' matters."
In truth, it was an absurdly difficult task to state so casually. Tensions between the towers were at a peak, their security tighter than ever.
He had to breach it all, investigate every detail, grasp the core of each secret, and return intact.
Yet Zekiel didn't object.
He merely asked,
"Just investigate? Is that all you want?"
"Yes. Don't forget how magnanimous I am."
A moment later.
Zekiel let out a smirk.
"Your Imperial Majesty, you're as consistent as ever."
"Consistent? Your words border on insolence."
"Aren't you deceiving me again?"
Silence fell.
The apple being nibbled in midair stopped.
Only after a long pause did the Emperor ask,
"Deceiving you? What do you mean?"
"You're not denying that you're accommodating me overall. But it's not just pure magnanimity, is it?"
Zekiel tilted his head slightly.
"It seems you need me for something too."
"Shortsighted fool."
The Emperor cut in firmly.
"You've grown cocky from your recent successes, but that doesn't make you omnipotent. Not everything you touch turns to gold."
"Yes."
"Considering that, if this isn't magnanimity, what is? Granting favors to someone who's not all-powerful, just for taking on a mission."
The Emperor's tone was resolute.
But Zekiel showed no intimidation.
"Whether I'm omnipotent or not doesn't matter."
"Hm?"
"As you said, you need me. So I deserve proper compensation."
The floating apple rotated subtly.
Likely being toyed with by the Emperor.
Zekiel, who had been standing politely, suddenly extended his hand toward the Emperor. He conjured an ice spear brazenly and launched it without a care.
Whoosh!
"Hm?"
Shwaaaa!
A portion of space warped into a vortex. Absorbed by the Emperor's ability, the ice spear vanished without a trace.
"What was that? Zekiel."
"It disappears, as expected."
"Indeed. No attack can touch me."
"So it's annihilation, then."
Zekiel rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
Step, step.
He suddenly stepped toward the stone slab.
He placed his palm on the regions where the Magic Towers stood, then shattered that section entirely.
Boom!
"Even the magic each tower's hiding—if Your Imperial Majesty stepped in personally, they'd vanish without a doubt. All without the world ever knowing."
Zekiel hadn't lifted his palm yet.
Ssssh.
The destroyed map reformed in ice.
"Someone has to investigate, right? Someone highly capable— not as strong as Your Imperial Majesty, but precise... Who could that be?"
The rotating Holy Grail halted.
Zekiel grinned.
"...Does that sound plausible now?"
Tap, tap, tap...
The sound of fingernails drumming on the throne armrest echoed.
"You've grown quite bold. I'll hear you out."
"I'm confident about that mission you mentioned."
"Confident?"
"I'll preserve and document every hidden spell from the five towers, without missing a single one. If you wish, I can even make illustrated guides a child could understand."
Zekiel flashed a sly smile.
"Of course, provided you promise the reward."
Like a mischievous brat you couldn't hate.
But the Emperor still showed no real reaction.
"Zekiel, you're deeply mistaken."
Crunch.
The Emperor resumed munching the apple.
"Do you think those spells pose any threat to me? Not in the slightest. They could vanish entirely, unknown to the world, and it wouldn't matter."
"Of course, not to Your Imperial Majesty."
Zekiel continued calmly.
"But to the continent? Hardly. Considering they're worth hiding, refined for good use, they'd make formidable assets."
"...".
In truth, even in the distant past, during the height of the Imperial Tower's power, there had been hints of the towers clenching their teeth to conceal something.
They hadn't rooted it out then.
Now, with the Imperial Tower weakened, a full decade had passed.
Like a time bomb ready to explode at any moment.
The scale must be immense by now.
But if those perilous powers could be redirected...
They'd surely benefit the continent.
Crisis and opportunity were two sides of the same coin.
"Coincidentally, I know the continent's greatest champion in the Empire. A man without a shred of mercy, who cares only for the continent, having forsaken all else."
"Who?"
"He's standing right in front of me."
With that, silence reigned.
The apples stopped moving.
The Holy Grail ceased its motion.
"I'm still confident about this mission."
The Emperor gave no reply.
However.
At some point.
Swish.
Swishhhh.
His long robes began descending the steps slowly.
When they were nearly nose-to-nose.
"...Zekiel, just two questions for you."
The Emperor finally spoke.
"How long have you known?"
"Mm..."
Zekiel leisurely bit down on a stalk of Sunweed.
"Since life became desperately precious?"
After encountering the elixir and obtaining three drops of Sunwater, Zekiel had clung to life more fiercely. He meticulously reviewed the Emperor's actions since then.
And realized a few certainties.
That he cared for the continent.
And that he needed Zekiel for it.
Yes, knowing just that was enough.
Without it, Zekiel wouldn't have dared gamble before the Emperor.
"Good. Now the second."
The Emperor asked from point-blank range.
"What do you want as reward for succeeding?"
An overwhelming pressure.
Yet Zekiel answered plainly.
"Same as before: three drops of Sunwater."
The Emperor couldn't help but think.
This brat Zekiel's head has grown enormous.
He nodded quietly.
"Very well. Accepted."
But.
Surprisingly.
"Ah, one more thing."
Zekiel wasn't done.
"...Put the First Princess to sleep for a bit."
"...".
The Emperor stared at Zekiel.
Something was off.
A viper.
Yes, he'd raised a viper.
...But now it was slithering like a cunning fox?
"Hah!"
The Emperor laughed.
The laugh brimmed with approval and amusement.