In front of the 2nd Princess Hedera, the Imperial Tower group was seated.
They didn’t exactly know why they were summoned. However, one thing three of them instinctively understood: the atmosphere was delicate.
─Why have we been called here?
Tether sighed, a cold sweat trickling down as she sent a telepathic message.
─Did I make a mistake or something…?
Whatever the reason, it didn’t seem like a safe position to be in.
Tether, with her considerable experience serving Hedera, was well aware: Hedera was currently in a bad mood.
Tether’s head quickly turned towards Ezekiel.
As always, in critical moments, Ezekiel was the most helpful, or so she thought.
“…”
And soon she found herself at a loss for words. The Inspector’s expression didn’t seem very different either.
─Excuse me, Inspector. Do you have any insights?
─What on earth is going on?
─Well, she probably called us to hear the report.
─Ah-ha!
But what exactly was this ominous atmosphere?
…What on earth was this foreboding aura?
Just as Tether was about to add something,
“That’s rude. Cut the telepathy.”
Beeeeeeeeeeee—!
With a single line from Hedera, the telepathy was completely severed. The power of the Dragon Speech lightly outmatched simple magic.
“Hmmm.”
Hedera tapped her fingernails on the armrest, looking one by one at the Imperial Tower group standing in front of her.
“What should I start with?”
She seemed to ponder for a moment.
“You all worked hard.”
“As an Inspector, I just did my job,” Ezekiel replied quietly, maintaining his decorum.
“Is there anything more remarkable than doing what you have to do? You deserve praise.”
Hedera knew very well this was not just a simple coincidence where everything fell perfectly into place.
The Imperial Tower group, especially Ezekiel, had done remarkably well.
Hedera lifted a teacup and spoke.
“Tether.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Despite being my secretary, you accompanied the Inspector, right? Share what you felt during this trip.”
“Well, when I try to explain…”
At that moment, Hedera and Tether’s eyes met.
“Yes. I felt a lot. Where should I begin? I’ll tell you everything.”
“Okay.”
“I realized what the Imperial Tower should have been doing, as Your Highness owns it. The Imperial Tower will become Your Highness’s wings from now on.”
Hedera quietly nodded.
“Is that all?”
“Pardon?”
“Is that really the end of it?”
“Uh…”
For a brief moment, Tether’s brain spun wildly.
Soon, she found the answer since she had an inkling of what it was.
“Of course, that’s not all!”
Tether laughed brightly, revealing her teeth.
“I felt truly deep appreciation from the Inspector towards Your Highness! Because it’s Your Highness’s Magic Tower, he went to such lengths! Yes!”
“…Is that so?”
Just slightly, all three sensed it.
Hedera’s aura had oddly brightened.
The Princess’s gaze now focused on Ezekiel.
“Inspector, did you really say that?”
“…Yes.”
Ezekiel averted his eyes slightly.
This time, the Princess’s gaze shifted to Agnes.
“Secretary of the Inspector.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“What did you feel?”
“I felt quite a bit.”
Agnes’s expression turned serious.
“Your Highness.”
“I’m listening.”
“Now the Imperial Tower can no longer afford to be like the past.”
“Can no longer be like the past? What do you mean?”
Hedera stared at Agnes intently.
“First of all, the things we’ve achieved this time are truly remarkable.”
“Were you trying to say the Imperial Tower is remarkable?”
“That’s part of it, but what I want to tell Your Highness is a bit different.”
Agnes took a moment to breathe.
“In fact, the Imperial Magic Tower should have been ruined today.”
Hedera slowly closed and opened her eyes.
“Should have been ruined?”
“Yes. If one wanted to play, they’d play, and if something was to be postponed, they’d postpone it… They were ahead of thinking about just getting through each day comfortably, and results were pushed aside.”
“Well, that might’ve been the case.”
“Consequently, with the Exchange Meeting presentation today, it would have been natural for our flimsy inner workings to be exposed and collapse. That’s the deserved position.”
“…That’s a fair point.”
Hedera slightly nodded.
Flimsy things get treated like flimsy things, and beautiful things are cherished beautifully; isn’t that the way of the world? The Imperial Tower was meant to fail.
“However, the Inspector prevented that.”
“Hmm.”
“The issue is, this feat was achieved solely by the Inspector’s power. It is not the Imperial Tower’s achievement.”
Agnes continued her statement methodically.
“Now that doubts about the Imperial Magic Tower are gone, from now on, many people with extremely high expectations will visit the Imperial Tower.”
“That’s true.”
“If situations arise where the Inspector can’t manage everything, like needing to juggle two tasks at once, it will surely become problematic.”
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Hedera quietly tapped her armrest.
“I got the feeling that the Imperial Tower will have to put in efforts that chip away at its soul from now on. It’ll be tough, but as your secretary, I plan to do my best.”
Agnes’s statement came to an end.
Still, it was hard to read Hedera’s expression. After all, half her face was covered by a mask.
But then.
“I’m delighted.”
Hedera said an unexpected response.
Tether’s eyes widened in surprise as if saying, “What?!” but Hedera continued in a very calm tone.
“I didn’t expect a mage to be so considerate about the Imperial Tower. I thought you had just started working, yet your loyalty is quite deep.”
“Is that so?”
Agnes nodded.
“Although my time as secretary was short, I have a history within the old Imperial Tower. I’ve always wanted the Tower to thrive, but back then, Your Highness wasn’t here, and there was no capable Inspector.”
With such a clear response, Hedera chuckled lightly.
“Sounds like you’re blaming me. I was the one who left my position, and it was my fault for not appointing a capable Inspector. Well, that’s true, it’s my responsibility.”
Agnes hurriedly bowed her head.
“I didn’t mean anything like that. I was just pleased that the situation has changed.”
“Just kidding, just kidding. I can’t even joke around here.”
Hedera rummaged through her robes and quietly pulled something out. Quickly, Agnes approached and carefully took it with both hands.
What was handed over to her was a thin gold bar.
“Take it. It’s a monetary gift.”
Tether’s mouth dropped open.
“Uhh…!”
She couldn’t help but make a sound. The amount Hedera handed to Agnes was extraordinarily immense, entirely unlike an ordinary monetary gift.
“I couldn’t possibly ignore an incredibly thoughtful mage like you, so I had to take care of you. I hope you continue to do your best.”
“That’s too much.”
Agnes carefully began to speak.
“May I, by any chance, return this gold bar?”
“No. Accept it.”
Hedera waved her hand dismissively as if it were fine.
“Yeah, it is indeed quite a lot. You can stop working right now with this.”
Hedera’s eyes sparkled slightly.
“If it becomes too hard, don’t hesitate to take a break whenever. Even if the break is long, it’s okay. You have more than enough money now, right? You must have had many places you wanted to go.”
“There might be days when I feel exhausted, but I will never take a break. I’ve learned how crucial responsibility is.”
“How can you be so virtuous with your words?”
Hedera lifted her teacup, and everyone hastily lowered their heads. The sight of the 2nd Princess pulling down her mask and sipping tea was not something one could dare to view.
“Agnes.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Just as you said, the current Imperial Tower has many gaps to fill. Is it really okay not to be a secretary? I can move you to better places later if needed.”
“I can barely manage anything outside my secretarial duties. If I were to move, it would surely be a great inconvenience. I would prefer to stay in the secretarial position if possible.”
Agnes politely bowed her head while Hedera stared at her pensively.
“….”
Tether furtively glanced between the two women.
‘What’s with this atmosphere?’
On the surface, it might seem like a healthy and cheerful conversation, but considering the atmosphere, it was sharply tense, somewhat sticky, and unsettlingly thick…
It looked like Ezekiel was the root of it.
Both the Princess and Agnes seem to glance at Ezekiel’s face every once in a while since a while ago. Tether wasn’t ignorant of that tension, either.
Then suddenly, a strong thought crossed her mind.
Huh?
Wait, wait?
Tether blinked, thinking it couldn’t be true.
…Is this, perchance, a battle of wills?
My site has received a lot of DMCA notices, lol. From now on, I will update the MTL on https://darkmtl.com/.
The site is fast and lightweight because there are no ads yet. However, the theme is different from Cybor-TL, so take some time to familiarize yourself.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.