The day of departure and the bet to the Ruiple region.
A mansion worthy of being called a castle, with its antique rooms.
The 2nd Princess, Lingual Mage, and Dragon Blood bearer… Hedera sipped her tea as the light poured in through the window.
It was high-quality tea leaves procured from the Celestial Realm. In the Mortal Realm, it’s said that the price is what you call for.
Meanwhile, her gaze was directed outside the window.
In the training ground were three knights, including Valken.
Whoosh—!
The knights wielding swords moved ceaselessly.
Compared to just a week ago, they were vastly different.
While Valken still held the center, the other two knights had also started to match his pace. A harmony was beginning to emerge.
Various shouts echoed in the training ground.
“Give it your all! The Princess has commanded not to underestimate the opponent and to do your best in this bet!”
“Yes!”
Since Hedera hadn’t explained the circumstances, Valken saw Ezekiel as a mere peasant parachute inspector.
Yet, the fact that they could give their utmost effort was quite impressive. He showed no sign of carelessness, reflecting a strong will to not slack off.
Indeed, he was not known as a renowned knight for no reason.
“Hmm.”
However, Hedera’s thoughts were exceedingly complicated.
She clinked her teacup down. The strong aroma of the famous tea leaves was not noticeable. Such was the depth of her thoughts.
“…Ezekiel.”
With her brows slightly furrowed, Hedera muttered.
A week ago, Ezekiel’s presentation was phenomenal. As she already knew, his magical prowess and potential were beyond the ordinary. Still.
Yes, the 3rd Princess, Solana, likely offered him the inspector position because she knew so well. It was only natural.
“It was within my expectations.”
Naturally, she had anticipated this as well.
Yes, it was something she had foreseen.
But even so…
The events that had transpired left Hedera with numerous questions.
Not questions toward others, but toward herself.
If what she expected had occurred, then she could simply respond according to the plan. Hadn’t Hedera always dealt with life’s problems in such a manner?
Rational thinking. Emotionless.
These were elements that were vitally important to her as both a Dragon Blood bearer and a Lingual Mage. She had always viewed others merely as individual humans.
That’s why the memories of that day remained merely questions.
“Why did I…?”
Unknowingly instigate a bet.
Knowing the time was tight.
Knowing the odds were slim.
Putting forward the Imperial Family’s report as a reward.
“…Why did I suggest the bet at all?”
Though she had rendered a somewhat fair judgment, it was true that Hedera had also pushed too hard with the excess rewards promised.
She never expected anything from humans when treating them as just humans. She had no interest and certainly wouldn’t treat them as subjects for amusement… Yet.
…What was she feeling at that time?
—It’s sincerity.
Suddenly, a remark from Ezekiel resurfaced in her mind.
Hedera unfolded the crumpled letter again.
Among the lines she had written with pride, a particular line stood out. A noticeable line.
[In a life too short, I hope you found happiness.]
“…”
And beside it, a drawing that hadn’t been crumpled.
That was undoubtedly a picture drawn by Ezekiel himself. A scene from long ago, of Hedera engrossed in her studies from the side.
…Did she really look like that once?
Had Ezekiel always seen such a face?
Hedera found it hard to believe and stared into the mirror. The bright girl was nowhere to be found, leaving behind a woman with a cold expression.
An absurd drawing. An unbelievable drawing.
But the reason she hadn’t crumpled the drawing yet was…
[In a life too short, I hope you found happiness.]
Happiness.
The girl in the picture certainly looked happy.
“…Could it be, for my happiness?”
Had he wholly begun to give his best as an inspector solely for Hedera’s happiness, even growing to accept such ridiculous conditions of the bet?
Somehow, was it that he thought he would bring her happiness, no matter what?
And at the same time, was he expecting something in return?
Did Hedera impulsively suggest it, hoping Ezekiel would find that happiness for her?
If that were the case….
Really, if that were the case…
“Let’s stop thinking about this.”
Hedera shook her head vigorously.
What was important to her. What was happiness.
It was now only the Ascension Ceremony. Only becoming part of the dragons in the Celestial Realm would be her true aspiration, wouldn’t it?
Emotionless. Hedera had to maintain that state.
No need to think about why she accepted the bet; she could just ask directly. That much wouldn’t raise any suspicion.
“Even the thought of stopping thinking is something to stop.”
The woman soon fell into deep meditation.
The day of departure and the bet.
I began to warm up early in the morning.
Sssss—
The state of ice-type magic was, as always, magnificent.
The finesse was noticeably sharper than when I was lazing around in the neighborhood. Recently, using magic a lot had helped me regain some of my proficiency.
Sssss—
I first generated a few ice crystals before stopping. After all, I was confident in my magic, and what I really wanted to check was something different.
I glanced at the pink-haired mage beside me.
“Belka.”
“Ah, yes, yes…!”
Belka scampered over and stood at attention.
My condition is that my body and mana cannot handle excessive chill. But what if I could neutralize that chill with heat from a person instead of Sunweed?
…That would be easy.
First of all, it takes considerable time for my body to absorb the heat from Sunweed. In other words, if I want to use magic at 2, I’d have to start chewing it at 1.
But if I get it from a person, then I can have it immediately.
I placed the back of my hand on Belka’s forehead. Just that made steam begin to rise.
Chiiiii—!
“Whew… That feels so good…”
Belka stuck her tongue out like a dog on a summer day, her face showing utter bliss. I could definitely feel the heat comparable to Sunweed.
However.
“—!”
In an instant, Belka’s eyes went wide.
Belka’s nose started to run.
“It’s c-c-c-cold…! I’m going to freeze to death…!”
“For now, that’s enough.”
I quickly withdrew my hand.
Of course, the total amount of heat was meager compared to Sunweed.
If I had kept pouring out the chill, she would have died from freezing.
“The total amount of heat doesn’t equate to quantity, but…”
In terms of getting heat immediately, it was quite satisfactory. The benefits from accepting this could be substantial in the future.
I showed Belka a piece of Sunweed.
“Say hello.”
“Ah, hello…! But who to…?”
“To the Sunweed. Your senior.”
“Su, Sunweed Senior…! Hello…!”
At that moment.
“…What on earth are you doing?”
Anes appeared in the training ground. As usual, her expression was emotionless, spinning a cube with one hand.
“The time has come. Are you ready for departure?”
I checked the clock, and it was indeed time to leave.
“Let’s get going.”
“Understood.”
As the three of us began to walk, Anes asked.
“…In the end, we haven’t done any training for a week. Is it alright to leave like this?”
“You don’t need to ask about every little thing. You’ll know soon enough.”
I wasn’t thoughtless either. I already had a concrete plan and confidence to execute it.
After all, this wasn’t my first visit to Ruiple.
“Understood.”
Anes surprisingly gave up quickly. She still seemed to have many thoughts, but words alone wouldn’t resolve them. Doubts must be solved on-site to be certain.
Before long, we could exit the Magic Tower.
The starting point was a wide square near the Magic Tower. Two large carriages were already waiting.
The three knights on the other side welcomed us.
“You managed to avoid running away, Inspector.”
Valken, clad in a helmet and armor, began with a sneer, but I didn’t bother to engage.
After all, a more important figure was present.
Bam—
Someone descended from the massive carriage and approached.
The Empire’s 2nd Princess, Dragon Blood bearer, and Lingual Mage…. It was Hedera. She stood conspicuously between me and Valken, holding a yellow-grade request.
“Due to the serious erosion phenomenon in the Ruiple region, I am personally dispatching the inspector of the Magic Tower and the escort knights. The two of you will prioritize the safety of the Empire’s citizens over competition.”
“Yes! Your Highness!”
Valken shouted robustly. I thought nothing of it.
Hedera nodded as well.
“Alright. The oath is now complete. Let’s depart immediately.”
The three knights promptly boarded the carriages, and Anes and Belka climbed onto the other carriage as well. While I was slowly moving my feet, at that moment.
Right then.
In a split second.
“Shall we have a chat?”
Hedera’s voice caught onto me.
As I half-turned my head, I saw Hedera’s pupils slitted like a serpent, already having lowered her mask.
And at an unexpected moment, the Dragon Speech burst forth.
“Tell me why you accepted the bet.”
Pah!
Immediately, an overwhelming force wrapped around me.
I naturally had resistance against Dragon Speech, but resisting it fundamentally required an astounding amount of mana.
In simpler terms, with only one Sunweed left, the cost-benefit ratio for a resistance that consumes a lot of mana isn’t great.
I thought in that split second.
‘This question is surely something I can answer.’
Answering and reserving mana would certainly be more beneficial.
Having made my judgment, I donned minimal resistance. Just enough for a concrete answer to be abstractly spat out.
At last, my mouth vocalized.
“There’s a reason I absolutely must win the bet.”
“…”
And there was a momentary silence.
“…?”
Yet, on Hedera’s face, surprise was particularly prominent. It was something I couldn’t grasp.
“…”
More than just astonishment. Perhaps it was close to shock.
I shrugged it off. I couldn’t have misspoken.
“…Let’s talk about the remaining matters after the bet ends.”
I turned my back.
Feeling the piercing gaze directed at my back.
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