Inside the Imperial Palace, Audience Chamber of the Emperor.
Huff…!
A mixed laugh burst out.
“I suppose…”
Gradually, the Emperor’s tone became serious.
“It seems I’ve just now noticed your change. I must have completely misjudged you.”
“What have you thought of me all this time?”
“Well…”
The Emperor quietly scrutinized Ezekiel.
Emotionless, without a word, just doing his duties.
Wasn’t Ezekiel exactly that kind of person in the past?
He had no choice but to be such. It was the Emperor himself who made him that way. Wasn’t he brought out for that very purpose from the Palace of Penance?
Simply pouring all his time into training and missions, losing people around him one by one, his emotions ground down… Ultimately, he had become a refined doll.
Given all this, it was only natural that Ezekiel would end up living like an idle man after his retirement.
How to enjoy happiness, how to savor leisure, how to find peace. Nobody had ever taught him.
And then, out of the blue, this guy proposed to the princesses.
It was thought to be a reckless act, but Ezekiel had already changed significantly in many ways.
‘Just by touching the elixir, this much change…’
Is this what it feels like when a doll that has just begun to hold emotions starts to crave life? The Emperor revised his evaluation of Ezekiel and naturally became intrigued.
‘What if he comes into contact with the Sun Elixir?’
What kind of change would occur?
Even the Emperor couldn’t easily predict the possibilities.
Meanwhile, Ezekiel did not rush the Emperor for his answer.
He simply waited quietly.
“Three drops of Sun Elixir, and to put the 1st Princess to sleep. Is this all you desire? I accept.”
Trying to obfuscate with someone who has already awakened several truths would only destroy an interesting negotiation.
Rather, it would be far better to quickly acknowledge what needs to be acknowledged and swiftly touch on what both sides desire.
“However, Ezekiel, never forget. The reward can only be received once you succeed.”
The shoulder of the robe in front of Ezekiel slightly shrugged.
It seemed the Emperor had shrugged his shoulders.
“Of course, for the reward of putting the 1st Princess to sleep, I will provide it in advance… But do not rest easy. If you fail the mission, I will return it double.”
“What do you mean by returning it?”
“Well, shall I lock you up alone with the 1st Princess?”
Ezekiel suddenly recalled what the 1st Princess had said.
‘If caught, I will squeeze every drop without leaving a trace.’
“…”
Indeed, failure was not an option.
This mission had to succeed. Absolutely.
“This mission will be quite difficult.”
The Emperor wrote the power structure again on the stone tablet. The Imperial Tower seemed to be three times the size of the other Magic Towers.
“In the past, during the height of the Imperial Tower’s glory, there were several attempts to uncover the unique magic of the other Magic Towers. All of them failed. What do you think the reason was?”
“They too had a stake in the matter.”
“Right, if they were going to leak their unique magic, they would rather choose to self-destruct with the Magic Tower. The magic they hid must have advanced even more by today.”
Crunch.
The Emperor bit into an apple.
“Comparing now, it seems the Imperial Magic Tower has weakened, while the others have grown stronger. This task is essentially one you must do alone. Do you still have confidence in your success?”
“The difficulty of the mission is irrelevant.”
Ezekiel replied silently.
“Success or failure. I only need to focus on those two.”
Unlike before, Ezekiel harbored a desire for survival.
A life where his existence was vital, there was no reason to hesitate.
The Emperor quietly nodded.
“Good. I’ll be hearing about the results of your mission later.”
“However, Your Majesty.”
Surprisingly, Ezekiel called the Emperor again.
Then in a rather serious tone, he spoke.
“This seems a bit off to call it a mission. Let’s clarify this. Isn’t it closer to a transaction that benefits both parties?”
“…”
A moment of silence.
The Emperor was still very close to Ezekiel.
One second.
One minute.
Five minutes.
How much time had passed?
“Hooh.”
Such a short response was the Emperor’s reaction.
“Transaction.”
The Emperor quietly repeated the two words.
“Transaction, transaction…”
An apple suddenly appeared out of nowhere, soaring through the air.
“Interesting. Are you trying to stand on equal footing with me?”
“Only in regard to this transaction.”
He recognized that it was an absurdly bold statement, but that was not intended as rebellion. The Emperor’s robe sleeve moved slightly.
Perhaps he was stroking his chin in thought.
The more he thought about it, the bolder it seemed.
To turn a mission into a transaction would grant him the qualification to admonish the Emperor should he fail to pay the reward even after a successful outcome, also preemptively preventing such a scenario.
After a while, the Emperor spoke.
“This is unprecedented.”
Crunch!
The apple in mid-air disappeared.
“Good. For this transaction, I will treat you equally.”
“Thank you.”
Ezekiel felt that he was indeed changing a lot.
The greatest change was that a spark of some sort had begun to ignite within Ezekiel. It was a name the Emperor would recognize as that spark: probably passion.
The Emperor slowly rose back to his throne.
“Ezekiel, let’s put an end to the talk of transactions for now, and I’ll ask you a few things as a father of the princesses.”
After creating an equitable transaction, the conversation shifted straight to a superior-subordinate relationship. Indeed, the Emperor was also an experienced man not to be underestimated.
“…”
Ezekiel swallowed dryly.
The reason the Emperor had periodically wanted to see his face was; it was time to check on the progress of the five conditions.
“How’s it going, have you made any progress with the five conditions?”
“I’ll mention just a few.”
“Just a few?”
The chalice the Emperor was holding paused for a moment.
Ezekiel replied calmly.
“Yes. The two princesses have not yet met.”
“…Well, let’s listen and judge.”
Ezekiel began recalling the conditions one by one.
—First, become stronger than the 1st Princess, Ether.
“Firstly, I am diligently building up my strength.”
So the Emperor made a sound of contemplation.
“You know, right? Just building strength normally won’t be enough. Ether’s raw power is tremendous, but her rate of achievement exceeds even that.”
“Building strength isn’t everything for me.”
Ezekiel remained calm.
“While training my strength, I’m also combining it.”
“Combining? Combining what?”
Ezekiel quietly pulled out a single sheet of paper from within his pocket.
The Emperor pulled it toward him on the throne.
Swish—!
Not telekinesis, but rather, space simply folded in an instant.
“Ezekiel, this looks like a list.”
“Yes. It contains the names of those who visited me during my recuperation.”
“Quite a few names.”
The list included not just the names of the princesses who had visited directly, but also those who had sent gifts to Ezekiel.
“Yes. All of them will be my strength.”
“The idea of combining strength meant that?”
The Emperor’s attention lingered on the list for a moment.
“Ezekiel, however…”
The Emperor swiftly handed the list back.
“Without the princesses, they are merely insignificant beings.”
“I believe the number of names in the guest book will increase. For the time being, I will be wandering around the world a lot and this is just the beginning.”
“Thinking you’ll only gain goodwill is a misjudgment. There will also be those who harbor resentment against you.”
“I won’t worry about it. I’ll bear the burden.”
“Hmm, yes. Your words hold weight.”
The Emperor crunch another apple.
“I acknowledge it. You’ve made progress in this aspect.”
“Thank you.”
“Now, shall we discuss the next progress?”
“Currently, the 2nd Princess is becoming more beloved day by day.”
—Second, become more precious than the 2nd Princess.
“I have been informed. But that’s a stretch for your progress. The more beloved the 2nd Princess becomes, the more difficult it will be to meet the condition, no?”
“No, it’s not for the sake of the second condition.”
Ezekiel shook his head.
“This is for the fourth condition.”
“Huh?”
—Fourth, obtain more wealth than the 4th Princess.
“If the 2nd Princess becomes the cornerstone of the Celestial Realm, I will have opportunities to access various treasures of the Celestial Realm, won’t I?”
“Hmm.”
“I don’t intend to be confined to the continent. If necessary, I will gather wealth from other realms too.”
The fact that the 4th Princess possessed enormous wealth was something that no one could deny.
However, that wealth was ultimately measured by the standard of the continent.
Ezekiel was considering a broader outlook.
“Ezekiel, you’re taking a very risky gamble.”
And that was the Emperor’s reaction.
“Competing with the 4th Princess should only be done with wealth on the continent. The moment the 2nd Princess becomes increasingly beloved, achieving the final condition will become tougher. You already know that.”
“It is for the sake of a fair competition.”
“…Fair?”
“Yes.”
Ezekiel nodded.
Sending proposal letters to five princesses unexpectedly was, of course, a mistake, but the feelings packed in those envelopes were not malicious in the slightest. It was more about good intentions.
They were princesses he once taught. Even by just sending a letter, he had already created confusion, and he had no intention of causing any harm. Thus, his conclusion was singular.
It didn’t matter if it was hard. His intention was to achieve the conditions while also helping the princesses.
“Ezekiel, you’re quite lax about this.”
The Emperor spoke quite coolly.
“This condition, in a sense, is a competition. And there is no such thing as fair competition. It’s about fiercely pulling each other down until only one survives.”
Crunch!
An apple disappeared again.
“…And the one that survives will only become stronger.”
“I believe there can be such a thing as fair competition.”
But Ezekiel did not back down either.
Indeed, while the Emperor only sought a form of competition that pushes each other to the limit, Ezekiel was a person who didn’t see it that way.
“From far in the past, the educational policy has always been like that.”
“Certainly won’t be easy.”
“I did mention it, didn’t I?”
Ezekiel smirked.
“I don’t care about the difficulty.”
The Emperor finally nodded.
“Okay, well, for now, I understand. I’m curious about the results you have in mind. Are you planning to bring all five princesses to their peaks and marry them all at once?”
And then there was a moment of silence.
“…”
“…”
The Emperor asked again.
“…Could it be that was your genuine intention?”
“…I will tell you later with the results.”
Half of it was a correct prediction, and half was incorrect. It was right that he intended to make the five princesses shine more, but he had never thought of marrying them at once, which led to the silence. Was such a thing even possible?
…It was unimaginable. Those five?
Just as Ezekiel was deep in thought about that…
“Well, got it. I’ll also acknowledge this as progress.”
“Thank you.”
Ezekiel offered his respects.
“I’ve mentioned all the progress, and now I have a plea. Can I bring up just one thing?”
“Hmmm.”
The chalice in the air spun around.
“This part is disappointing. Ezekiel.”
The Emperor’s tone turned rather chilly.
“After mentioning two progresses, to bring up a plea… Your intention is quite obvious, don’t you think? There is a baseline for desiring the Sun Elixir. This is quite unpalatable.”
“I am not asking about the Sun Elixir.”
“What? Then?”
At the Emperor’s unexpected response, he raised a question just in time.
“I wish for you to cherish the princesses.”
Ezekiel blurted out words the Emperor had never considered.
At that moment, the Emperor paused, mid-bite of his apple.
“What do you mean? Of course I cherish them.”
“Not as forces of the continent, but as bloodlines.”
The atmosphere grew colder due to the Emperor’s mood.
Yet Ezekiel continued without concern.
“I’m speaking of them as precious bloodlines, not regarding how wonderfully they contribute to the continent.”
In truth, such a statement was merely abstract.
It was difficult to easily promise, and even if he did, there was no assurance it would be kept. Ezekiel was well aware of that.
Yes, he understood well.
But despite that, it was something that had to be said.
“You’re speaking nonsense.”
The Emperor murmured quietly.
“Are you accusing me of careless treatment of the princesses? Or are you daring to teach me how to treat my daughters? Your intent is vague.”
“Neither.”
“Then? Why say something without meaning?”
“I merely wish for you to remember that I made such a statement one day, Your Majesty.”
Ezekiel’s intentions were indeed profound.
‘It would be troublesome if the Emperor obstructs the princesses.’
While there were many challenges Ezekiel and the princesses would need to face, the moment the Emperor became an obstacle would be like running into an enormous wall.
Thus…
Ezekiel sought to prevent such a day from coming. It was a small attempt to turn an obstacle into an ally.
It might be a minor event.
The flap of a butterfly’s wings could stir up a storm.
And so…
This very flap could indeed become a storm.
“I will undoubtedly remember. I will remember this statement to evaluate later whether it was a wise or arrogant one.”
Tap, tap, the sound of nails drumming on the throne echoed.
“And you must also know one more thing.”
“What is it?”
“I’ve never heard such words before, nor have I ever thought of such a concept. I do not understand the necessity of viewing the princesses solely as pure bloodlines.”
Then Ezekiel started searching through his pocket instead of responding.
He neatly laid three items on the floor.
A bouquet, candy, and a handkerchief.
“Ezekiel, what are these?”
“One for each of the three princesses, in order of age. This is my response to what you just said.”
“I asked you what these are.”
“They are items each princess likes.”
Ezekiel bowed deeply.
“Well then, I’ll take my leave.”
The Emperor did not try to stop Ezekiel as he left.
Instead, he quietly gazed at the items left on the floor.
“Things that don’t focus on utility, as pure bloodlines…”
The 1st Princess liked the bouquet.
The 2nd Princess liked the candy.
The 3rd Princess liked the handkerchief.
He hadn’t known they liked such things.
Suddenly.
Out of the blue.
He recalled a time when Ezekiel and Ether had their duel and ventured into the canyon. The sight of the princesses clinging only to Ezekiel and not coming near him.
“Hmmm.”
The Emperor of the Empire, Verd.
He felt somewhat strange within.
On the way to the carriage.
“…Finally, a breath of relief.”
Ezekiel muttered with Sunweed in his mouth.
He had successfully dismissed the 1st Princess and passed the Emperor’s interim check. He had solved two nearly impossible problems in one go; could it get any better than this?
Yes! It could get even better!
Didn’t he promise to receive the Sun Elixir as well?
The deal with the Emperor had been struck. Therefore, the difficulty of the next mission was no longer important… Just as Ezekiel was filled with resolve while contemplating this.
“…?”
He immediately encountered an incomprehensible scene.
“What’s going on, Agnes?”
Agnes. Ezekiel’s personal secretary.
It was definitely her. Agnes, who should have nearly reached the Black Tower by now, was clearly present alongside the carriage.
“…Why is she still here?”
But, what was even stranger happened the next moment.
“Ah, I—Inspector…!”
The usually expressionless one was even welcoming him?
What’s going on? Why this change?
Ezekiel approached the carriage, filled with questions.
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