Chapter 9
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 9
Chapter Title: 3rd Princess Solana (3)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"…."
I stared at Solana with bewildered eyes.
My disciple, now proudly established as the empire's 3rd Princess and hailed as the Empire's Angel, was openly forcing the position of Magic Tower Inspector upon me.
"You're serious?"
"Dead serious."
There was no hint of joking in her eyes or tone.
The problem was, if this wasn't a joke, it was an even bigger disaster.
"Surely the 3rd Princess knows the prestige of the Magic Tower?"
"Of course. I understand it perfectly."
"Not even an academy professorship, but making me the Magic Tower Inspector?"
"Yes. No mistake about it."
The academy and the Magic Tower were worlds apart, both in prestige and in the caliber and quality of their members.
It was only natural.
The academy gathered raw talents from across the continent and polished them like gems, a cradle of dreams. But the Magic Tower was a place only the finest, fully refined jewels could set foot in.
Every year, the academy's top graduates publicly declared in official ceremonies that serving in the Magic Tower was their dream.
Solana tilted the teapot and refilled my cup.
"As you know, the empire has a total of six Magic Towers."
"The central Imperial Magic Tower, surrounded by the other five."
"Exactly. And Teacher, you'll be in charge of the Imperial Magic Tower."
Think of it as a pentagon.
The Imperial Magic Tower at the center, encircled by the black, red, purple, green, and blue towers at the vertices like points on a star. No need to explain how the Imperial Magic Tower's authority stood head and shoulders above the rest—it would just hurt my mouth to say it.
"Advances in scroll technology and the ominous Erosion Phenomenon... The Imperial Magic Tower's authority isn't what it used to be. Meanwhile, relations between the towers have escalated from rivalry to outright conflict."
"And?"
"It's a problem that must be solved, and I need your strength, Teacher. I believe you can restore the Imperial Magic Tower's prestige."
Imperial Magic Tower Inspector.
Setting quarterly goals and achievements, schedules, staff numbers, departmental personnel... No matter what it was, the inspector's power allowed interference in nearly every aspect of the Magic Tower's operations.
But flip that around, and the inspector could do absolutely nothing if they chose.
"Regrettably, I lack that level of sense of justice."
I'd had my passionate days too.
Back when I naively believed defeating the demons and sealing the Demon Realm Gate would bring unbridled peace, allowing me to escape my terminal fate—an immature youth indeed.
Solana nodded and took a sip of her tea.
"Of course, you don't have to do anything inside the Imperial Magic Tower. That kind of inspector is possible too. I'm serious."
"Hmm."
I pondered for a moment. Imperial Magic Tower Inspector.
A position that might be someone's lifelong dream.
...But I still had to shake my head.
"There are too many issues to just accept it outright."
"Issues? What kind?"
Unfortunately, Solana didn't back down easily. She even wore a resolute expression, as if she'd already steeled herself for my response.
It didn't look like I could brush this off lightly, so I calmly organized my thoughts. Where to start?
Right, first—the parachute drop problem.
"All the missions I've handled in the past are top secret. No public record. To others, I'd just look like a parachuted appointee. It'll draw nasty comments toward the Imperial Palace."
"No. You do have achievements."
Solana replied confidently.
"You personally wiped out criminals in the Fatal region and captured a wanted fugitive in the Penitence Palace. That's more than enough."
"…."
...She planned this from the start?
I'd sensed she was vaguely dodging the Penitence Palace topic, but did she orchestrate everything for this exact moment?
Fortunately, I still had plenty of reasons to refuse.
Appoints Zekiel Hound as Magic Tower Inspector.
The fine print right below the appointment letter.
Salary set at 300 gold coins per month.
300 gold coins. An absurd amount of wealth.
I exhaled a puff of Sunweed smoke and said,
"Solana, you need to pay more attention to the common folk's lives. One imperial gold coin lets a common household live comfortably for a month."
According to the letter, my monthly salary could sustain a common family for about 25 years. Ridiculous.
"I expected that question. But it's from my personal funds."
"...Personal funds?"
"Yes. I have plenty of gold saved up. No issue, right?"
"…."
Then I had nothing to say.
That left only one option.
A bit stiff but textbook, childish yet supremely effective—the method I'd loved using in the past...
—His Imperial Majesty would be displeased.
—Te, Teacher! Pretend you didn't say that!
Right, nothing beats His Imperial Majesty.
"His Imperial Majesty would be displeased."
"I don't think so."
Solana flipped the appointment letter, revealing a large square seal. Familiar. The imperial seal.
"His Imperial Majesty approved it willingly."
"…."
Now I had no excuses left to refuse.
At this point, curiosity got the better of me—why was Solana pushing this so desperately, even coercing me? Instead of refusing, I asked.
"Solana, why go this far?"
"Just repaying the grace you showed me, Teacher."
"Is that the only reason? I doubt it—that's why I'm asking."
Solana's lips twitched.
I pressed on.
"Whether I take an interest in wealth or fame is for me to decide, but even if you want to help, there are countless ways. Forcing this method suggests another reason."
Solana averted her gaze for a brief moment.
There it was. She couldn't fool the eyes that had watched over her since childhood. She definitely had another motive.
Repaying her teacher's grace, the Magic Towers' issues... Those paled compared to whatever Solana valued far more.
Solana sipped her tea silently, clearly weighing her words carefully, so I waited patiently.
Finally, she spoke.
"...Because you read every single letter I sent, without missing a word."
"Ah."
Oh right. The letters.
Cold sweat trickled down my back.
What exactly had I written? I only remembered the conclusion was a marriage proposal—the specific lines escaped me.
Meanwhile, Solana continued.
"Every single word... I could feel the deep anguish behind them."
Hmm, written in a drunken haze of alcohol and Sunweed.
Solana's cheeks flushed slightly as she went on.
"Sentences I'd never encountered before. Blurry and hard to interpret at first glance, but they touched my heart. And most of all, you enclosed a drawing. That was nice."
...I'd drawn a picture too? One of my drunken habits.
Must've sketched it in my cups. What did I even draw?
My mind raced through endless possibilities. Fortunately, Solana didn't notice.
"You're right, Teacher. There's a reason I insisted on this method. It's the conclusion I reached after reading your letters countless times."
"...I see."
"Please trust me first. I'm begging you."
"I get what you're saying for now."
I nodded.
The strongest emotion surging through me right now was profound guilt—I'd done something terrible to Solana.
Yes, I'd felt my own life was unjust and pitiful, fading into obscurity under the terminal curse. But Solana must have agonized deeply over my letters too.
That's how we'd arrived here.
Solana was already worrying about me, reserving the Imperial Magic Tower Inspector position, even willing to dip into her personal savings. Shame washed over me.
...I've shamed myself as a teacher.
It felt like I'd dragged her into my misfortune for no reason.
The empire's worsening state lately, the atmosphere among the princesses with succession looming. Her life was burdensome enough without me barging in so blatantly. It troubled my heart.
Still, it helped me resolve myself.
They say early fire suppression is key. Before this blaze grew uncontrollable, coming clean now and soothing it seemed best.
It was the bare minimum courtesy.
"Solana."
"Yes?"
"About that letter, for now, let's put it on hold..."
Clink—
Solana set her teacup down on the table.
In that instant, I felt an illusion as if the entire world had frozen over.
"...Ah, sorry. Were you about to say something?"
"…."
For a split second, I clearly caught it—her eyes narrowing into cold whites, the once-kind Holy Power twisting into a chilling aura.
"...It's nothing."
I sensed it instinctively.
Early suppression? No such thing.
...The fire had already spread beyond any hope of extinguishing.