Chapter 90
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 90
Chapter Title: Not a Battle of Wills, But a Heartwarming Aura Fest (1)
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2nd Princess Hedera.
She watched the situation with intense focus.
…It doesn't feel real.
The Black Tower had hatched a conspiracy far more sinister than she'd imagined.
As a result, Hedera had even steeled herself to step in personally.
She was determined not to stand by while Zekiel was slandered, even if it meant violating the sacred rule that the exchange was solely a festival for mages—potentially bringing repercussions down on the White Tower.
Yes, she'd resolved to do just that…
But in the end, Hedera never had to intervene.
It was all thanks to the inspector's exceptional skill.
"What the hell is that…? A barrier…?"
"What's going on inside?"
The mages in the audience seats voiced their concerns.
And rightly so. At the center of the conference hall, a pitch-black hemispherical barrier had swallowed both Zekiel and Teddy Divine. Even at a glance, it radiated an ominous aura.
"Absorbing all those corpses…!"
"Is the Black Tower really gearing up for a transcendence realm breakthrough?"
Hedera quietly shook her head at the chatter.
Not transcendence.
Transcendence was, as the name implied, a realm only true transcendents could manifest. But the Black Tower Lord's version reeked of hasty improvisation.
Even if the power was sufficient, it lacked finesse. It was nothing more or less than a crude disaster packed with raw force.
So she harbored no worries for Zekiel's safety.
The representatives from the other towers seemed to have sensed it too, but Hedera could feel it with absolute certainty.
Zekiel's chill was still intensifying without any sign of stopping, asserting its presence boldly.
And right then.
Crack-crack-crack…!
A fissure spiderwebbed across the pitch-black hemispherical barrier, and through the cracks, blue chill poured out relentlessly.
In such a short time, just by replacing the inspector.
To Hedera, the Imperial Magic Tower had been like a chronic illness.
But that very weakness had transformed into sharper fangs than any other, already tearing into the guilty tower and influencing the magical world.
And all of this was purely Zekiel's achievement.
He's only just taken the spirit medicine.
Once this was over, sunwater was promised to Zekiel as well. Hedera found it hard to guess just how much further he'd grow.
Maybe.
One day, she might even witness Zekiel's transcendence realm.
Shatter!
At that moment, the hemispherical barrier finally crumbled completely—a clear sign to everyone that Teddy Divine's final struggle had failed.
"…!"
"Hah—!"
"As expected of the White Tower's inspector!"
Everyone was lost in admiration.
But Hedera quietly lost herself in thought.
Solana's words suddenly came to mind.
—So, what did you do for him?
How much further Zekiel's achievements would advance.
Whether Zekiel would one day reach transcendence.
What Zekiel would do.
None of that mattered.
"What should I do for him?"
Yes, that was what mattered now.
No matter what the inspector did, Hedera intended to stay by his side, offering unwavering support and backing.
It was a deeplysome question—what only she, and no one else, could give him.
"He's my inspector, so I'll take care of him."
Hedera murmured softly.
The inspector's total victory carried massive implications.
The atmosphere inside the conference hall shifted in an instant.
"Seize the Black Tower scum!"
"Don't let a single one escape!"
The other magic towers joined in capturing the Black Tower mages.
"Aaaahhh!"
Piercing screams echoed through the air.
The Black Tower mages positioned throughout were swiftly dealt with. Those who surrendered peacefully were merely subdued, but the ones who resisted violently were executed on the spot.
…No chance. The Black Tower here is done for.
One of the Black Tower spies hardened his resolve.
Boom! Crash!
Snap!
In the chaotic slaughterhouse of a scene, he began searching for a way to survive. Surely he could at least save his own skin.
Luckily, he'd cloaked himself in stealth magic from the start.
The spy caressed the scroll hidden in his robes.
I have to protect this. First, where to flee? The Demon Realm? Yeah, that might be best.
It contained secrets: the location where the previous Black Tower Lord was imprisoned, the results of the Black Tower's horrific black magic experiments… The Demon Realm would surely welcome it.
"S-Spare me!"
"Uwaaaah!"
The place had now clearly divided into three groups.
The Imperial Magic Tower.
Those being judged by the Imperial Magic Tower.
Those following the Imperial Magic Tower's lead.
Yes, the key point was that the Imperial Magic Tower had seized complete control. The scales of importance had tipped overwhelmingly.
The other towers weren't fools. They quickly calculated which side to back in this moment.
"Capture even one more!"
"No need to show mercy!"
All chose to side with the White Tower.
Whoosh!
The spy moved swiftly, shrouded in stealth magic. Had there ever been a time he'd felt this desperate while fleeing? Never.
But greater than the desperation was the sense of wrongness.
The magic towers uniting like this, even briefly—and under the White Tower's lead, no less? Unbelievable.
Today's sacrificial tower was supposed to be the White Tower…
Just save my neck. If I live, opportunities will come!
The spy had nearly reached the exit.
The moment he crossed the threshold.
"Where you off to in such a hurry? The bathroom?"
Thwack!
Something struck the spy squarely on the forehead.
"Gahk!"
He nearly snapped his neck clean off. With tremendous force, the spy flew back, tumbling grotesquely across the floor.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
He was flung so hard that his head repeatedly smashed into the ground, bouncing and crashing over and over before finally coming to a stop.
"Guhhh… My head, my head…"
Writhed in agony, the spy barely lifted his head. A man loomed over him.
Zekiel.
The White Tower's inspector himself.
As he glanced over the scroll, Zekiel spoke.
"I figured as much, but you didn't treat the previous Black Tower Lord kindly. Imprisoning an innocent mage? What kind of logic is that? You guys are something else."
"…?"
The spy's eyes went wide.
"Huh?"
He frantically patted down his robes.
Gone. The scroll had already been lifted.
When the hell…?
He hadn't even noticed Zekiel appear, let alone how he'd snatched the scroll. With the spy's skills, the inspector's movements were utterly imperceptible.
"…"
His shock was so great that even the pain faded momentarily.
As he stared blankly at the inspector.
"Hey."
Zekiel finally spoke, tossing over a pair of ice-forged handcuffs.
"If you're gonna leech off the continent, at least uphold a mage's basic duty. Planning to bail to the Demon Realm?"
"W-We had our reasons!"
The spy protested.
"You're the ones who discriminated against us and pushed us out first!"
"Wow…"
Zekiel nodded as if impressed.
"Birds of a feather, spouting the exact same lines."
"…What? Same as who?"
"Who else? Teddy Divine."
Zekiel popped a sunweed leaf into his mouth.
"What do you think happened to that guy?"
"Well…"
The spy's gaze drifted to Zekiel's shoulder.
An ice spear rested there, with a girl's corpse impaled on the tip, dangling limply.
"…"
The instant he realized it was Teddy Divine.
The spy quietly picked up the ice handcuffs.
Click!
He fastened them on himself. Perfect fit.
"Impressive, truly…"
Anes murmured softly.
Even up until they set out, it hadn't felt real. But now that the White Tower's judgment had reached its final stage, the tension ebbed away, leaving her body trembling.
So this is what they call chastisement, judgment.
It was worlds apart from issuing paper warnings or fines. This was about severing the lifeline of those who'd committed grave sins. Incredible.
Meanwhile, Tether sat dazed on the floor. Anes sidled up quietly and said,
"Looks like it's wrapping up. You did great."
"What did I even do?"
Tether replied in a deflated tone.
"I thought I'd trained diligently enough, but today I felt utterly powerless. Seeing how pathetic I looked… it's made me reflect deeply."
Pathetic? The word didn't fit.
Both Tether and Anes had faithfully carried out their duties. They hadn't accomplished anything monumental, but they hadn't shirked their responsibilities either.
Still, Anes understood Tether's feelings.
It's just that the benchmark got way too high.
The sin of witnessing Zekiel. Nothing more.
Excellence first inspires awe, then reveals your own shortcomings, leading to despair. Anes had felt something similar, so she knew the sentiment well.
And Tether didn't even know Zekiel's past. To her, he must seem like a genius who appeared out of nowhere. How crushing.
"Lady Tether, no need to feel down."
"…"
"The inspector is exceptionally brilliant, and it's natural to feel a bit inadequate by comparison. But you mustn't despair."
"Uh…"
"Let's work harder. For our own best effort."
"Lady Aneeees…"
Tether's face lit up with emotion.
She sprang up and hugged Anes tightly.
"I always thought you were this scary, expressionless type, but you're so warm! Lady Anes!"
"No, not that you should suddenly cling like—"
As Anes tried to push her away.
"Anes, you can give compliments too? Didn't know that."
"…!"
Zekiel's voice cut in abruptly.
Anes jumped like a startled frog.
"You heard? Since when?"
"Dunno, pretty much everything, I think."
"Ah…!"
Anes's face flushed red as a matchstick. One spark and she'd burst into flames.
"Hah, so you secretly acknowledged me."
"It's not acknowledgment. Well, it is, but…"
Anes hurriedly added,
"Comforting Lady Tether was the priority. Meaning, it was necessary for the mission. Low morale leads to reduced performance, so…"
Mid-sentence, Anes froze.
As if time itself had stopped.
Zekiel tilted his head, still teasing.
"What's wrong? That unpleasant?"
"No, it's not that…"
Anes thought.
She was the only one who knew Zekiel's past. In other words, no one else acknowledged it.
…At the very least, shouldn't she praise him?
Wasn't that something she could do?
Ahem…
Anes cleared her throat and stood before Zekiel.
"Um, Inspector."
"Yeah."
"This time, you did a g…"
"G?"
Anes nodded.
"Yes. G…"
The problem? She'd never said anything like this sincerely before. Sure, she'd tossed out formalities, but never with real feeling.
Her face burned like it might explode.
"G… G… G…"
"Oho~ Got a dilemma?"
Then Tether chimed in.
Her eyes gleamed with that gossipy radar unique to certain types.
"It's a dilemma, but not that 'go'… G…"
"Meat? Hungry?"
"…No. Please stay quiet."
"Pain? Breakdown? Pepper? Solitude?"
Tether's barrage showed no end.
She was clearly egging it on.
"Hire? Answer? Childbirth? Advice? Oil? Barley? Extreme? Lotus? Bread? Beer? Angle bracket? Distilled liquor? High income? Oil painting? Savory grass? High yield?"
"…Stop."
"Interest piling up? Seaweed dryer? High-yield bonds? High nipple inflammation? Oil sensor? Tympanic proprietary layer? Oil ovipositor? Dry ice shooting? Fixed support beam? High treble notation? Seam trimming? Heat-loving plant? High-pressure door? High court commissioner? Loan sharking? Tympanic ridge—"
"…Stop, stop!"
Whoosh!
Anes finally thrust something toward Zekiel.
Her rigidly stiffened right hand.
"G… G… Good work…! Inspector!"
Her face on the verge of bursting, she offered a handshake.
"…"
A beat of silence.
Zekiel blinked in surprise, and Tether whistled out of nowhere.
But then.
Hummm!
"…!"
Anes shuddered involuntarily. A ferocious, murderous aura enveloped her.
What…?
The source was from above.
Where the 2nd Princess sat.
And not just that.
—You three. Come see me.
A thunderous telepathic message followed.
