On the day of the duel, I finally faced the truth.
“Why does your expression look like that on your day off?”
Secretary Agnes asked, as if trying to understand.
“I get busier on my days off.”
“That’s hard to comprehend.”
Ezekiel exhaled a long puff of Sunweed smoke. Well, to Agnes, I must seem strange.
This duel had to take place secretly, so I had no choice but to take a leave from the Magic Tower. Of course, both the duel and taking the leave were no problem.
But the content of the duel I received today was a problem.
[ I will observe the duel for the armband from the 1st Princess. ]
[ Come to Dominan Valley. ]
It was fine to settle the duel by taking the armband, but the opponent was none other than the 1st Princess.
‘Someone interested in elixirs. Was that what this meant?’
The Empire’s 1st Princess, Ether.
Madness.
Whenever Ezekiel thought of the 1st Princess, this word was the first to come to mind. Ether had been obsessed with strength since childhood, to a level almost insane.
In the first place, the Emperor had raised the 1st Princess for that purpose. It recalled stories of how, as an infant, she was bathed in the precious Sun Elixir.
Of course, there was one more concern.
‘… An observation? The Emperor himself?’
In any circumstance, it was rare for the Emperor to leave the Audience Chamber. Even if it was a duel involving the 1st Princess, the fact that he was actively involved felt peculiar.
That was when Agnes spoke up.
“Where are you going that’s so far away instead of your quarters?”
“Probably to Dominan Valley.”
“Are you joking again? Fine, then.”
Agnes sighed deeply and tidied her papers.
“Why? I can go.”
“Don’t you know how thick the fog is in Dominan Valley? It’s filled with thick Mana, and the terrain is rugged. The survival rate is so low that no requests even come in.”
Ezekiel wasn’t unaware of that.
Indeed, obtaining an elixir wouldn’t be easy, he thought as he put the Sunweed in his mouth.
“Magic Tower, keep things in order while I’m away.”
“I would’ve gone to the Magic Tower even if it were my day off.”
“Such deep loyalty? I didn’t know that.”
“That’s not why.”
Agnes shook her head firmly while elegantly spinning her cube with one hand.
“The 1st Princess has returned to the capital. It’s not impossible… She might just happen to pass by the Magic Tower…”
“Ah, you want to at least catch a glimpse?”
“Yes, that’s right. The Goddess of War, the Queen of All Cures, the Strongest… I just want to see them once with my own eyes.”
Agnes’s gaze turned toward the window.
Her expression was as usual, but a subtle expectation was felt. Agnes was hoping that the 1st Princess might wander near the Magic Tower.
“The Goddess of War, the Queen of All Cures, and the Strongest… Quite a lot of names.”
Ezekiel let out a puff of Sunweed smoke and asked.
“Agnes, what kind of fool would propose to such a 1st Princess?”
“A person out of their mind. Completely insane.”
Agnes clicked her tongue and left the office.
Once alone, Ezekiel quietly nodded to himself.
“… I’m not sane to begin with.”
Why was he not sane? Why?
Inside the Imperial Palace.
‘A duel, well, at least it’s this much of a relief.’
Hedera contemplated after checking Ezekiel’s report.
The Sun Elixir could only be made next month, so she couldn’t hand it over, but looking at the list of elixirs written down, her mind was at ease. They were all precious items.
“Are you in a good mood?”
Solana casually approached Hedera.
Hedera shrugged off the question, playing coy.
“That can’t be. I’m always busy with work.”
“I see. Then you’ll be busy today too, heading to the Magic Tower, right?”
“… Is that a question? Obviously.”
Hedera answered, intending to brush Solana off.
The claim of being busy wasn’t entirely false. With the wager involving the 1st Princess and Ezekiel, Hedera was planning to wrap up her preparations before heading over to oversee.
Of course, she felt a little disappointed that the elixirs wouldn’t be given straightforwardly. The wagering format felt lacking, but…
‘His Majesty the Emperor partially granted my request. That’s something that hasn’t happened even once in my life.’
Hedera suddenly looked back on her past.
It was common not even to open the Audience Chamber doors for regular requests, and even if there was a chance for a conversation, she was often denied, told to achieve it by her own power.
… Yes, even this was a massive anomaly.
“Yes. Well, I wish the 2nd Princess good fortune.”
“Good fortune, not goodbye… Wait a moment.”
Hedera narrowed her eyes.
“You just used that word wrong on purpose.”
‘Good fortune’ referred to bad omens like dark shadows. It wasn’t just a simple mistake; the meanings of ‘good fortune’ and ‘goodbye’ clearly contradicted each other.
Solana only smiled as usual.
“Hoho, how could that be? You seem quite busy today, you’re unusually sensitive.”
Hedera then looked again at Solana. She appeared strangely excited compared to usual and even held a lunch basket.
“Let me ask one thing, why are you so excited?”
“Because the blessings of the Sun God overflow in the world today. There’s no reason for me not to be.”
Hedera narrowed her eyes at that clichéd response.
It seemed they both hid their true feelings.
“Then you must be busy praying today, right? I thought you were going on a picnic or something. The 3rd Princess shouldn’t be idle at all.”
“You don’t need to worry. I’ll be at the Holy Temple.”
.
.
.
Hours later.
At the entrance of Dominan Valley.
“…”
“…”
Hedera and Solana ran into each other right smack in the face.
“Is this the Magic Tower? I had no idea.”
“Is this the Holy Temple? I didn’t know that either.”
Both princesses muttered simultaneously, looking utterly baffled.
On the path entering the valley with the Emperor, it was bizarre.
In fact, the term bizarre was insufficient. Walking alongside an incorporeal being felt so extraordinary.
‘There’s no sound to his footsteps.’
The Emperor’s steps were still soundless. Only the robe floating in the air swayed gracefully.
“The fog is incredibly thick, isn’t it?”
“Yes.”
Dominan Valley.
While not everyone might know the name Dominan, calling it the Valley of Death’s Fog would make most understand the region. The fog was thick enough to make it difficult to take a single step.
The Emperor advanced without hesitation, as if he could see everything.
“Most were exiled here. Now that I think about it, Ezekiel, you never had the chance to see this place because of your competence. It’s quite an interesting place.”
“Is that so?”
“Indeed. They said they’d grant you freedom if you escaped, but no one has managed to get out.”
… Why was Ezekiel called to such a place?
‘He even called me an hour early.’
Even though there was still an hour left until the duel with the 1st Princess, Emperor Verd had called Ezekiel ahead of time.
Could it be there’s another hidden intention? Were all those elixirs merely bait?
Just as those thoughts crossed Ezekiel’s mind, the Emperor came to a stop.
Kuaaaaaaaaaah─!
Immediately, three monsters burst forth from the fog.
At the same time, the air twisted like a whirlpool.
Kwadwadwadwad—
The physical forms of the monsters twisted in spirals and burst forth, spilling blood like wrung laundry.
Thud.
Eventually, what fell to the ground could hardly be described as corpses. It was more like crumpled tissue.
‘As expected, it’s not magic.’
Ezekiel aimed to analyze the Emperor’s abilities.
At the very least, it wasn’t magic. The Emperor’s identity and the source of the power he wielded remained shrouded in mystery.
“Grasping someone’s life and deciding their fate…”
The Emperor spoke leisurely.
“For me, that’s a matter so easy.”
Suddenly, his gaze fell upon Ezekiel’s hands.
“Ah, is that fruit?”
In Ezekiel’s hand was an out-of-season basket of fruit. Instead of answering, he humbly offered it.
—Um, you like fruits. This might help you.
Solana’s suggestion, taken just in case.
Crunch— Crunch—
Surprisingly, it worked. The sight of an apple disappearing from thin air intensified the amazement. It wasn’t just any sight because it was before the Emperor.
“That’s quite tasty.”
“It was a coincidence I picked it up, glad it worked out.”
Actually, it was chosen by Solana… but that was confidential.
Could it be that the Emperor liked the fruits? The atmosphere was no longer as stark as it initially had been.
“This place lacks ears for listening, so I’ll continue my previous conversation. While taking a life or giving life is easy for me, winning someone’s heart belongs to a different category.”
Crunch— Crunch—
The apple in the air disappeared entirely. Then another apple slipped out of the fruit basket.
“Ezekiel, how did you win the hearts of the princesses?”
“Um.”
Ezekiel quietly pondered.
‘Could it be you brought me here just to ask that?’
Even the mighty Emperor had interests in his daughters.
No, he felt confused about which of the two sides it could be.
Did he feel uncomfortable that Ezekiel won the hearts of his daughters, or did he want to win the hearts of his daughters too? He needed to figure that out.
‘If it’s the former…’
It might turn Dominan Valley into Ezekiel’s grave, so he cleverly tried to change the subject and probe the Emperor’s intentions.
“Your Majesty is a different matter entirely. If we think back on our conversation, there were many praises for you.”
Crunch— Crunch— Crunch—
The pace of the apples disappearing increased. This became another worry. Was the Emperor in a good mood or uncomfortable?
“Ah, this was during the time when I used to work as a teacher.”
—…
An apple floated in the air, suddenly stopping.
…I see. The faster I eat, the better his mood must be.
Ezekiel hurriedly added.
“Even recently, it remained the same. Respect towards you was abundant.”
Crunch— Crunch— Crunch— Crunch—
Knowledge about the Emperor increased. Just as that thought crossed his mind.
“Ah, there they are!”
“I can tell; I can see it with my own eyes.”
Familiar voices pierced his ears. Looking up, the precious ladies had cut through the fog.
The 2nd Princess Hedera and the 3rd Princess Solana. They were here.
“Daughters, I see.”
Perhaps because of his recent comment, the Emperor’s voice turned warmer. After all, hearing praise could endear daughters even more.
However.
Immediately, a problem arose.
“Inspector, how’s your condition?”
“Teacher, have you eaten yet?”
It was where the ladies had arrived.
The two princesses had totally engulfed Ezekiel, as if the Emperor didn’t exist at all. Both of them behaved the same way.
“Teacher, hasn’t the 1st Princess arrived yet? It’s not good to stay in a place like this for too long… I’m really worried.”
“What kind of wager is this? Just giving it away would be insufficient.”
“…”
In a way to openly confront the Emperor, Ezekiel felt, for a moment, like he was standing barefoot on tightrope made of needles.
“… For a while, I’d like to be alone until the duel.”
Ezekiel tried to come up with a unique solution.
“I guess I’ll just pray beside you then.”
“… Who are you? I’d rather set up the laws myself.”
Ezekiel briefly glanced sideways.
“…”
The apple hung motionlessly in the air.
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