Chapter 94
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 94
Chapter Title: Zekiel 223.38 (1)
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"I'll handle this matter properly myself."
The interior of the lodging fell silent for a while.
Everyone was desperately watching Second Princess Hedera's reaction, but fortunately, she didn't seem overly displeased. At least on the surface.
"It's not that I don't trust you all. It's just that the agenda is so important, right? I'm the Magic Tower Lord in name, after all, so I feel like I should check on the situation periodically."
Anes let out a silent sigh inwardly.
If only she'd just given them a proper scolding.
But with her dropping by every hour, asking about every little thing in that worried tone, it was pure agony.
"Your Highness, there's no need for you to trouble yourself with these visits. I'll send reports every hour."
"No need to go that far."
"It must be inconvenient for you to keep coming here."
"It's not inconvenient at all."
"It pains me to think that we're not worthy of your trust, forcing someone as esteemed as you to spend her time like this. Please allow me."
Anes kept her head bowed, while Hedera stared piercingly at the back of her head.
"…."
"…."
A heavy silence stretched between them.
The atmosphere grew strangely humid, musty, and sticky... It was up to the other mages to read the room.
Hedera was the first to break the silence.
"So, how long until it's complete?"
"We estimate at least a month."
"A month? That's too long."
There was a good reason for Hedera's impatience. They needed results as quickly as possible so the Emperor could grant Zekiel something in return just as fast.
But the others couldn't know that. Anes responded calmly.
"The Imperial Tower had no foundation at all, so compiling spells from other towers' experts is proving difficult. It was impossible to even attempt without the Inspector's help."
"Hmm."
Hedera bit her lip lightly behind her mask.
"If the Inspector comes to the lodging, progress will speed up dramatically. Please wait a little longer."
In the end, the Second Princess nodded reluctantly.
"Fine. Let me know if you need anything."
"We just need the Inspector."
"...That phrasing feels a bit off."
Just the Inspector is enough.
No one but the man himself could tell if there was any hidden intent behind those words—it was an oddly ambiguous statement.
"…."
"…."
Hedera didn't press, and Anes offered no explanation.
The mood turned strange once more, but Hedera soon turned to leave, as if signaling her departure from the lodging.
"Everyone, keep up the good work. I'll take my leave now."
"Your Highness, take care!"
The mages bowed in unison. Only after the door fully closed did they all exhale in relief.
"Whew, she has high expectations."
"It's a rare boom time. Of course she does."
It wasn't hard to understand. The Imperial Tower, long confined, had finally gained wings to soar.
With such a novel opportunity, success was mandatory.
"Alright, everyone, let's focus."
"Yeah!"
That was when Anes spoke up.
"We absolutely cannot fail. The Inspector worked tirelessly for this record."
"Right, right!"
"If we can't even handle the subcontracted tasks properly, he'll be deeply disappointed in the Imperial Tower..."
"…."
"...He might even quit as Inspector."
The air around them grew cold.
"Does the Imperial Tower have a future without the Inspector?"
"...No."
That was the signal.
Everyone began pouring their full effort into the work.
Meanwhile, in the reception hall of the Black Spire.
Zekiel was with Seina.
Or rather, Seina had glued herself to him one-sidedly, so "being pestered" might be more accurate.
She didn't seem like a bad person...
'Why won't she leave me alone for even a second?'
Zekiel had been diligently wandering the reception hall in hopes of picking up useful info, but Seina sticking to his side without a break was a problem.
Well, her reasons made some sense when she explained.
"Ah, I'm so excited I'm talking too much. But I wanted to hear your thoughts on the magic presented at the Blue Tower. I worked hard preparing it..."
Her eyes sparkled.
"It's my first time meeting a freezing magic master of such high realm outside the Blue Tower—and now you're my master! I really want to hear it. Really!"
The ice magic Seina had demonstrated?
Of course Zekiel remembered and had taken notes.
[ ←↑→↓↗↙→→↑ Activation ]
Rotate the chill according to the directions, then activate. Done.
'Lying would just lead to worse trouble.'
Zekiel opted for honesty.
"It wasn't quite up to what I expected."
"Oh?"
Seina's eyes sparkled even more.
"As expected, Master sees right through it?"
"Through what?"
"Once it became clear the Imperial Tower would take the top spot, everyone just threw together scraps for their presentations. As expected of Master!"
That explained why the presentations felt so lackluster.
They all seemed to pad with mediocre spells because they knew they couldn't claim the top position, so they just muddled through.
"You can look forward to it. Someday I'll show you my full-power ice magic. So, when will you tell me about your constitution?"
"It's ordinary."
"Not just 'ordinary'—you need to tell me every detail of your meridians and blood vessels so I can reference them. No secrets between fellow freezing mages, right?"
"Hmm."
A mage's meridians and blood vessels carried mana, so revealing them was tantamount to handing over all your personal info.
In simple terms, it was like giving someone your user manual.
Just knowing the meridian map let you guess weaknesses and strengths, so asking for it among mages was a grave rudeness.
For a normal person, it was like demanding they strip naked on the spot.
"Let's take it slow."
"I like moving fast too."
Truth be told, he couldn't share even if he wanted to.
Zekiel's constitution was overly complex, and it was changing in real time since encountering the elixir.
"Would you give me your full meridian map?"
"Of course, if needed. I'd even strip."
"…."
Seina's thirst for freezing arts mastery seemed fiercer than Zekiel had imagined.
"Master, shall we head that way next?"
"I'm getting tired now. Thinking of heading back."
"Oh, tired? Want some Frost Broth?"
"...You're talking about Frost Broth like it's a snack. No thanks."
It was utterly absurd. Frost Broth was an incredibly rare elixir even within the Blue Tower.
Meanwhile, Seina pondered seriously.
"Ah, ugh... Then I have nothing to offer you."
"I told you from the start, you don't need to do anything."
She hadn't given them personally, but he'd already received plenty. The Frost Broth, and insights into Blue Tower techniques would hugely benefit the Imperial Tower.
"But as your disciple, I want to give my best..."
"No need. Just train hard."
"...Master!"
Yet Seina looked truly moved.
"Your freezing arts are superb, and your character is too... I'm in awe. If you need anything, just say so. I'll do my utmost to help."
Something he needed.
Something he needed...
There was something.
"I want real-time info between the towers."
Yes, that was why he'd been wandering the reception hall.
The exchange event had wrapped up decently enough, but these gatherings were spaced far apart.
Real-time intel on tower dynamics, circulating rumors, key info... That would be invaluable for running the Imperial Tower.
Seina tapped her chin with a finger.
"Hmm, it's not impossible. There's actually an anonymous community where only tower affiliates share info."
"Anonymous community?"
"Yes. Everyone's identity is hidden. You need a referral from a member to join—I can write one for you—but the issue is..."
Seina gazed at him steadily.
Then she flashed a mischievous grin.
"Imperial Tower members are normally banned. But you can handle that, right? Don't get caught."
It sounded simple.
There was an anonymous community among the five towers, and since vital discussions happened there, Imperial Tower inspectors were strictly forbidden.
Zekiel was astonished.
At Seina, who was showing him such favor.
"...You sure it's okay to do this much for me?"
"Of course!"
Seina raised a fist.
"Under the great Frost Noble's will, we are one."
She even winked, closing one eye.
"Right?"
One hour later.
Zekiel immediately prepared to infiltrate the anonymous community.
Upon entry, blue mana projected into a rectangle, forming a window. At the top, stark white text read:
[Please set a pseudonym.]
"...I see. Not just simple anonymity, then."
The scale was bigger than Zekiel expected. It seemed like a full-fledged hub using pseudonyms.
"But..."
What the hell.
This was harder than thought. Picking a name.
What to choose?
What would be good?
Just picking randomly felt off, and using anything identifiable was risky. But some weird, incomprehensible word wouldn't do either.
'Something that draws interest without being ignored...'
One popped into his head.
"...Verd?"
He muttered the name suddenly.
Verd the Formless.
The Empire's Emperor's name.
He shook his head vigorously.
Too much to handle. Way too much.
No confidence he could pull it off...
Zekiel corrected himself.
"Noss, then."
Noss. Utterly ordinary name.
That was when he sensed something off.
The alert window showed no reaction.
"...What's wrong? I said Noss. Noss."
Then he realized a shocking truth.
The alert wasn't glitched.
It had simply completed the preset command and stopped.
"…."
Before Zekiel's eyes.
The alert window displayed a stunning fact.
[Your pseudonym is Verd.]
Eh?
Ehhh...?