✦ Chapter 71 ✦
「Translator – Creator」
On the morning of the exchange meeting.
As soon as Ezekiel woke up, he visited the training grounds within the Imperial Palace. During his treatment, he had consumed a large quantity of elixirs at once, leaving his body in a rather peculiar state.
He observed his body closely.
The coldness within him had grown stronger than before, yet to his surprise, his body had adapted slightly, accepting the change. It was a first for him.
‘Indeed.’
So this was why elixirs were revered as divine treasures.
…However, the effect was minimal, which was somewhat disappointing.
If he hadn’t tasted even a sliver of vitality, he might have accepted his impending death with less regret. But now, having experienced a hint of improvement, he yearned for more. The sensation of his life being extended, however briefly, was exhilarating.‘It has to be Sun Elixir.’
Even the elixirs had only managed to slow down the deterioration of his body. What he truly needed was the Sun Elixir.
— Focus on the exchange meeting for now.
— The Sun Elixir should be ready by then.
Since the Sun Elixir was not yet ready, the Emperor had promised him three drops once the exchange meeting concluded. Ezekiel couldn’t wait.
As he left the training grounds, several people recognized him.
“Isn’t he the new Inspector at the Imperial Magic Tower?”
“They say he’s incredibly skilled.”
“He’s going to the exchange meeting? I’m excited to see what he can do.”
As he walked past those remarks, certain memories came to mind, particularly what Solana had mentioned.
— I hope you will focus solely on your work, Master.
Focus solely on my work, huh…
Now that he thought about it, he hadn’t truly dedicated himself to anything, whether it be training or his duties as Inspector, in a long time. And there was one reason for that — he didn’t know when his short life would come to an end.
To focus on his work, he needed the luxury of time. He needed to prolong his life.
‘I’ll have to make more deals with the Emperor.’
He’d already used his painting talent. What would be the next bargaining chip? He’d have to give that some thought.
“Ah, Inspector. There you are.”
Lost in thought, he hadn’t noticed Agnes approaching.
“Were you waiting for me, Agnes?”
“Yes, Inspector. It would be quite troublesome if you were to disappear right before the exchange meeting.”
As they walked side-by-side down the corridor, Agnes suddenly let out a deep sigh.
“Inspector, did you know that the Five Magic Towers are required to submit progress reports to the Imperial Magic Tower periodically?”
“That is common knowledge.”
“Very well. Then, are you also aware of this?”
Agnes fiddled with her cube as she continued, “The reports are due every three months, and today happens to be the deadline. However, not a single tower has submitted a report.”
“The implications are quite clear.”
“Indeed. Painfully clear,” Agnes nodded.
“They believe the Imperial Magic Tower will be utterly humiliated at today’s exchange meeting. They’re also making it clear that they stand with the Black Tower.”
What arrogant fools.
Ezekiel popped another sunweed into his mouth.
“There’s no need to worry excessively.”
“Pardon?”
A knowing smile spread across his face.
“For now, let’s sit down somewhere and talk.”
• • • ₪ • • •
Ezekiel and Agnes moved to a meeting room.
“So, what exactly are we supposed to do?” Agnes asked.
“Keep an eye on the Magic Towers that are acting suspiciously, identify any threats, and eliminate them. We’re going to prune the branches so that only the Magic Towers that serve the Empire remain.”
Agnes spun her cube.
“Of course, before we can do that, we need to prove that the Imperial Magic Tower is still capable. Otherwise, we’ll face significant opposition from the Five Towers.”
“It won’t be difficult to prove our capabilities. Just tedious.” Ezekiel exhaled a plume of smoke from his sunweed.
“So, how do you propose we prove it?”
“In that regard, I’m not sure what they’re up to, but the Black Tower made a rather… interesting suggestion.”
Agnes handed him a document.
It was a single sheet of paper containing information about the Demonic Sword.
“Didn’t you retrieve a demonic sword after defeating a high-ranking fiend in the Ruiple region recently, Inspector?”
“Yes, I did.”
“They want us to deliver it to an altar near the Black Tower.”
Ezekiel tilted his head; this was strange. The Imperial Magic Tower wasn’t the Black Tower’s errand boy.
“The Black Tower specializes in handling demonic objects.”
“That’s why it feels more like a challenge. A test of our competence. As if they’re saying that they’ll only acknowledge our abilities if we can complete this task.”
“What makes them think they can make such demands…”
A decade of neglect. For ten years, the Imperial Magic Tower had demonstrated such incompetence that it was treated with such disrespect. The realization stung.
“Alright, I understand. What about the personnel going with us?”
“I’ll be accompanying you as your secretary, Inspector.”
Ezekiel looked directly at Agnes.
“You’re coming voluntarily?”
“Yes.”
“That’s unexpected. I thought you hated me.”
“…Don’t misunderstand. I’m going because the Black Tower’s envoy was extremely rude.”
“So you’re the type to hold grudges.”
“…Indeed. I am.” Agnes pouted, her expression as impassive as ever.
He nodded. “I’ll take your word for it. Let’s rest for a while before we depart.”
“Alright. I will wait outside.”
With that, they left the meeting room.
As they wandered aimlessly through the palace grounds, they were met with the clamor of training soldiers.
One─!
Two─!
One─!
Two─!
The clash of weapons, the vigorous movement of bodies, the relentless dripping of sweat… Ezekiel paused, his gaze drawn to the spectacle before him; the sun, having finally risen above the horizon, bathed him in its light, marking the start of a new day.
Despite the strenuous training, a flicker of hope shone in the soldiers’ eyes — the hope that they would be stronger tomorrow.
In short, for them, the exchange meeting tomorrow was an unquestioned certainty. It was a luxury that Ezekiel, ever since his birth, had never been able to afford.
In other words, they had the luxury of taking tomorrow for granted.
“………….….”
His mouth, which had been chewing on the sunweed, paused.
One─!
Two─!
One─!
Two─!
Life had held little meaning for him.
But the unexpected pang of melancholy he felt now — could it be a sign that he finally wanted to live? He pondered this quietly.
‘Complete the exchange meeting mission, and then get the Sun Elixir.’
He wasn’t concerned about the difficulty of the mission.
There was no need to be.
However, right before he was about to depart, the man momentarily dared to dream of a long life.
• • • ₪ • • •
Inside a room in the Imperial Palace infirmary…
‘This should be enough for tidying up.’
Standing in his room, Ezekiel finished packing his belongings. He didn’t own much, and the gifts visitors had brought him, he had requested to be moved to the Imperial Magic Tower.
Just as he was about to leave—
“I-I-Inspector!”
A figure blocked his path, their voice frantic.
It was the First Princess’ messenger.
“What is it?”
“Um… it’s…” He struggled to find the words. Ezekiel nodded, anticipating his question.
“If you’re looking for the First Princess, I haven’t seen her.”
“No, sir, we found the First Princess.”
“Well, that’s good news. But why are you telling me this?”
“Um… that is…”
The messenger kept glancing nervously to the side.
His voice trembled as he finally spoke. “It seems… you may need to… make some preparations…”
“I’m already prepared for our departure.” Ezekiel frowned, “You’re the one delaying me right now.”
“Not for departure… not that kind of preparation, sir…”
“What other preparations are there?”
“Well…”
Ezekiel shook his head and tried to push past him, exhaling another plume of sunweed smoke.
Or at least, he attempted to, but he couldn’t.
Because there was someone standing behind the messenger.
“………….”
Ezekiel was utterly speechless.
Rarely was he taken aback, but the sight before him was indeed astonishing.
The first thing he saw was a pair of slender legs clad in a pristine white wedding gown. But the figure was so tall that the doorframe obscured everything above the chest.
A stunningly beautiful figure.
It was as if someone had taken the concept of perfect beauty, sculpted it into a female form, and then carved it into a colossal statue. But he didn’t have the luxury of simply admiring this work of art. There was only one woman in the entire Imperial Palace who was this tall.
Where should the shock begin?
There were far too many things about this situation that warranted his shock.
The fact that she had appeared?
The fact that she was wearing a wedding dress?
He managed to force out a question, his voice surprisingly steady. “…Why is she wearing a dress?”
“She said… she’s going to meet her husband…” the messenger stammered.
Now?
And why is she holding a sword?
“……….”
Ezekiel gestured with his eyes to the sword in the woman’s hand, but the messenger merely shook his head, looking just as confused as he was. Then, with a deafening crash, the wall near the door exploded outwards. The tall woman stepped through the newly enlarged entrance, her presence commanding attention.
It was Ether, the First Princess.
She didn’t utter a single word.
Grin─!
She simply smiled, baring her teeth as she looked at Ezekiel.
“……….….”
It was as powerful as any words could be.
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