Chapter 99
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 99
Chapter Title: Zekiel 223.38 (6)
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The cat head confidently opened its mouth.
"The 1st Princess has postponed her return to the north, nya."
The members reacted quite strongly right after.
"...The 1st Princess? The 1st Princess who loves the north so much?"
"Then who's defending the front lines?"
The cat head leisurely answered the barrage of questions.
"Looks like there's something in the imperial capital they need to hunt even before the northern monsters, nya. From the Magic Towers' perspective, that's something we can't ignore, right?"
The members nodded in unison.
"Does that mean there's some massive monster hiding somewhere in the capital? Finding it quickly will be key. We might even get a piece of the action..."
"If the 1st Princess just mentions getting help from the Magic Towers, the ripple effects would be huge. We should seriously hunt down that prey ourselves."
Everyone started getting excited and heated in their discussion.
"... ."
Zekiel remained quietly silent.
Not that he didn't know what the prey was.
'The prey is me. Has to be me.'
No matter how he thought about it, the prey the 1st Princess was referring to was him. Her declaration from their last chase was still vivid in his mind.
— ...Fine, if I catch you, I'll squeeze you dry.
Should Zekiel flee the capital? Or tough out the squeezing? Either way, both options were incredibly tough choices.
'...This secret gathering is incredibly useful.'
No, it had already gone beyond mere usefulness.
The other mages were pondering ways to use this info for their Magic Towers' gain, but Zekiel was lost in far more primal thoughts.
...Pure survival, nothing but survival.
"It's amazing how none of our info overlaps at all. I brought something on the 3rd Princess."
It was the veiled woman's turn next.
"The Heresy Inquisitors have begun special training."
"Special training...!"
It was only natural for the members to be shaken.
The Heresy Inquisitors entering special training was a clear sign that they would soon be deployed for something major.
Worry colored their voices.
"Why would the Heresy Inquisitors suddenly...? Does that mean a massive loyalty purge is coming soon?"
"Seems like it, nya. The Magic Towers need to be careful too..."
"Please keep a tight leash on the mages in your towers. There might be demon worshippers hiding among them."
Yes, everyone seemed worried about demon worshippers.
But not Zekiel.
'...Surely they're not planning to use them for something else?'
Suddenly, Solana's words came to mind.
—Stay away from all other women.
—If not...
—I'll have to punish them one by one myself.
Several women flashed through Zekiel's mind. Ether, Anes, Seina... The ones he'd been with during this outing—would any misfortune befall them?
...He resolved to properly soothe Solana.
And right then.
"Huh? Wh-what?"
The cat head stepped forward with a bizarre reaction.
Its round eyes were fixed on the fake Zekiel.
"I never noticed before, but now that I look, the leader's appearance is exactly like the Imperial Tower Inspector's, nya? You know, the one who shone at this exchange meeting!"
The surprise soon spread to the other members.
"It's true!"
"Definitely. It's the Inspector's appearance."
"Could it be the man himself...?"
The fake Zekiel quietly shook his head.
"No."
"Then...?"
"An acquaintance. That's all."
At the words "an acquaintance," Zekiel narrowed his eyes. It confirmed they knew each other personally, but who could remember him enough to mimic his appearance and mannerisms?
He began narrowing down the suspects in his mind.
'No way...'
There was one princess whose speech pattern matched.
—Teacher, time for bed now.
—Can't sleep alone, have to sleep together.
—Teacher, Teacher...
He shook his head. Surely no princess was here.
"Hmm, asking more would be rude, nya..."
Zekiel inwardly hoped they'd dig for more info on the fake Zekiel, but no one pressed further.
In this virtual world, everyone had their reasons.
Someone might mimic another's appearance out of admiration, but the opposite was far more common.
The most famous case was crafting an enemy's likeness as one's avatar. No matter the evil deeds in the virtual world, the infamy would fall on the real person.
That was why no one pried into the relationship.
They only talked about the Imperial Tower Inspector.
"He was truly amazing."
"I was shocked. 'Overwhelming victory' doesn't even cover it."
Hearing open gossip about himself felt strange. Zekiel feigned ignorance and asked,
"Was the Imperial Tower Inspector really that impressive?"
"Not just impressive—he caused a upheaval, nya."
"An upheaval in the magic world? No matter how busy it seems, this field is always boring as usual."
"...Did you sleep through the entire exchange meeting, nya? No, you completed the authentication. You're not even a mage!"
The other members' faces were much the same. Zekiel ended up hiding his identity even more by accident.
After that, he had to endure a long stream of praise for himself.
"Here's the special thing about this Imperial Tower Inspector, nya. Normal inspectors just know how to order people around and never do anything themselves, so it's been ages since one stepped up and personally judged all those wicked things one by one."
"Is that such a big deal?"
Wasn't it just the obvious thing to do?
Hadn't the other inspectors just been too lazy?
That's all Zekiel could think.
The compass beside him nodded in agreement.
"It's a huge deal. The rumor that he did nothing for 10 years must've been part of a smokescreen. He showed up with his blade properly sharpened."
"Well... You could see it that way."
"'Could' nothing—this is the truth."
Zekiel scratched his head.
'These guys were at the exchange meeting.'
He figured he should pry for more info while he could.
"In that case, the other Magic Towers probably didn't take their presentations seriously, right? Since the Imperial Tower was already ahead."
"Exactly! They hid their ace research results! No point in 1st place anyway, so they skimped through it."
"Smart move. Real smart."
Zekiel nodded outwardly while thinking something else.
'These bastards. Time to shake them down sometime.'
Now he understood why the secret gathering was so strict about excluding anyone connected to the Imperial Tower.
From an inspector's perspective, they were honey pots spilling easily catchable facts left and right.
Amazing achievements were practically breathing all around.
Tak—
At that moment, the fake Zekiel rapped the round table.
"Enough chit-chat. Time's short."
The round table quickly fell silent.
"The info I brought. Two pieces today."
"...Two?"
All the members reacted intensely.
It was the natural progression.
The leader's info was always huge, and now he was declaring two pieces. They couldn't help but get excited.
"R-really? You're sharing two?"
"Yeah. Since the Inspector came up, one extra."
The fake Zekiel nodded.
"The Imperial Tower Inspector likes the 5th Princess especially."
"... ."
And the first piece of info was somewhat out of left field.
"...?"
Doubt clouded everyone's faces, but the fake Zekiel calmly emphasized his words.
"No, he likes the 5th Princess the most. Above all else. He's working for the 5th Princess."
"... ."
As the person in question, Zekiel was utterly bewildered.
'Do I like the 5th Princess that much?'
5th Princess, Neo.
The continent's top scroll researcher.
It was true he cherished her greatly as his student, but the same went for the other princesses. No favorites.
The round table's light hadn't even flickered.
Shaa... Ah...
No, it had flickered, but weakly.
Most members looked dubious, but since it came from the leader, they couldn't challenge it and just awkwardly nodded.
"Good to keep in mind for when we want the Imperial Tower's favor. Knowing tastes is important."
"...Y-yeah, nya. Investigating the Inspector's tastes too—you're amazing as always, leader."
The fake Zekiel quietly nodded.
"That info? Just a bonus."
His expression turned deadly serious.
"The real important one's second."
At the phrase "really important," everyone focused more intently than ever. Zekiel was no exception.
And.
Finally, the fake Zekiel's one line.
"The 5th Princess is plotting treason."
"—!"
The members' mouths gaped open.
"Wh-what, what did you say...!"
"What...!"
The site overflowed with shock and disbelief.
An unbelievable fact had struck like lightning here.
Shaaaaaaa—!
The round table merely blazed with blinding light.