“What on earth is this check for….”
Ezekiel muttered, looking bewildered. Though his face was filled with concern, the clerk seemed to interpret it as humility.
“Hahaha! No need to be so humble! You’re more than deserving of it!”
“No, it’s not that…”
Ezekiel stopped mid-sentence. It really wasn’t the kind of story one could casually share with someone.
Instead, he sighed and swept his palm across his face.
Time check.
Ezekiel felt the thing in his hands like a ticking time bomb. The problem was that there was no way to dismantle it, and he had to use it at least once.
He asked the clerk again.
“No matter how I use this time check, it will be reported to all the princesses?”
“Yes. That was the condition for this check’s issuance. There’s nothing we can do.”
“And the 2nd Princess’s intention?”
The clerk smiled brightly.
“It was the 2nd Princess who most actively supported this, so it was conveyed like this.”
“…”
It was clear why she had so eagerly supported it. She must have been overflowing with confidence that she would be the one chosen.
Ezekiel quietly took out a sunweed and started chewing on it. A particular phrase from his conversation with Hedera kept coming to mind.
—Inspector, you must give an answer after this outing.
‘To force that in such a way.’
Not only was she going to use the check on Hedera, but she also seemed intent on flaunting it to all the other princesses.
Sure, he understood her feelings, but…
‘The other princesses won’t just stand by.’
What started as a single check would surely end in ashes. Ezekiel tried to imagine that process for a moment.
…He soon stopped. Out of fear.
For now, asking the clerk one thing was the best course of action.
“Can I take my time using this check?”
“Of course.”
Then he could rest easy.
The deal with the emperor, duties as the inspector of the Magic Tower… Ezekiel was busy. He could easily find an excuse not to use the check for quite some time.
Right, that’s what he thought.
“Just make sure to use it by the end of this week.”
“…This week?”
He really had nowhere to escape.
The next day.
The magic tower mages headed directly to the imperial capital, but Ezekiel’s party was exploring the edges of the black district.
Stealing vision techniques.
They were following the black tower master’s whereabouts for the eligibility to obtain the Sun Elixir.
“Wow… amazing…”
“Unbelievable! Five hours with the princess…?”
Currently, Seina, Tether, and Agnes were accompanying Ezekiel, all marveling at his check.
“I want to see it up close!”
“Hey? Why are you gripping it so tightly?”
Ezekiel quietly watched the scene, thinking to himself.
‘What if they accidentally tear it?’
But he quickly realized that was a foolish thought.
‘…Well, it wouldn’t change anything anyway.’
Would the issuance be canceled if the check got torn? Certainly not. An untearable steel check would be issued.
Seina’s eyes sparkled as she spoke.
“To receive something like this from the imperial family, truly, you’re the treasure of the ice sorcerer. Congratulations!”
“…Right.”
“Hm? You don’t look very happy?”
Ezekiel merely waved his hand dismissively.
Instead, he asked something else.
“Honestly, there was no need for you to come along.”
“Hey, it’s a good thing, isn’t it? Let’s do this together!”
Seina was a kind elder without a sharp edge. She volunteered to participate in this outing, and there was no request for her to take part of the public work either.
Agnes and Tether could only stare at the two with astonishment.
“…You really took the elder of the Blue Tower as your disciple. That’s quite surprising.”
“Indeed.”
In that atmosphere, how long had they walked? They had soon arrived at the entrance of the Thicket of Thorns.
A place filled with nothing but jagged trees sprouting up like black thorns, devoid of leaves. The black tower master was definitely here.
Tether blinked.
“So, we’re going to search this entire Thicket of Thorns to find the black tower master?”
“Yeah.”
“I thought it would be easy since the location is specified in the scroll, but I didn’t think it would be this vast and eerie…”
Seina chimed in beside her.
“It’s vast, but we can’t just wander around. The mana is extremely dense in the Thicket of Thorns. You never know when a fiend might pop up.”
“No need to enter the Thicket of Thorns.”
Ezekiel interrupted their chatter.
He simply knelt down slowly, placing one hand on the ground. He was concentrating his mind.
“Agnes.”
“Yes?”
“The black tower master is definitely here, right?”
“According to the information, yes, for sure.”
“Good.”
Ezekiel nodded quietly.
Hiss—
He took a long breath in.
“Conclusion.”
Greta was born a witch.
Until recently, she had held the position of the black tower master, but not anymore; now she wore a black robe and a large pointed hat. On top of that, a frog perched.
Lately, she often reflected on how she ended up in this situation.
In fact, the biggest reason was Teddy Divine. She had merely been swept up in that guy’s greed and ambition; there couldn’t be any other blame.
Yet, even so, Greta self-examined. Given her great disposition, she sought the cause within herself.
“It’s probably the problem that a witch stepped out of the forest in the first place. Black tower or whatever…”
Ribbit—
She was in the center of the Thicket of Thorns.
It was an area generally described as sinister, but for Greta, who was born and raised here, it was just a comfortable place.
The scenery that filled her view was serene.
A crackling campfire, a bubbling cauldron, a nearby hut made by magic, many frogs… It was satisfying.
Yes, a witch needs no more than this.
Just as she was about to slowly close her eyelids…
Ribbit, ribbit!
A frog leaped up and stuck to Greta’s face.
“…Huff!”
She brushed the frog away with her hand and opened her eyes. The frogs had returned with a bunch of grass and fruit.
“Well, they’re quite good for the body.”
Ribbit, ribbit!
“Thanks for the thought, but it’s fine. Those won’t help me.”
Greta had consumed even her vitality to hone her vision techniques for the achievements of the black tower.
Her body wasn’t something that could be healed with herbs and fruits. An elixir would work, though.
“I wish I could create an ice waterfall; I’d love to have one on display.”
Ribbit…
The frog stirring the cauldron shook its head. It still signified failure.
In truth, Greta also understood well. How could she, with zero skills in freezing, create an ice waterfall?
Even the Blue Tower found it difficult to create an ice waterfall.
It was merely stubbornness and arrogance.
Ribbit, ribbit! Ribbit, ribbit!
The frogs were anxiously croaking at that moment. Greta’s face stiffened slightly.
“…The forest keeper is coming.”
A figure was approaching, shabby and beggar-like in appearance.
It had thorns on its head like a crown, and it was leaning on a long log like a staff.
The keeper of the Thicket of Thorns.
Also known as the Thorn Tree Spirit. It meant that wherever it was situated, everything turned into a thicket of thorns.
Greta was not particularly glad to see it again. Currently, she had very little vitality left, making it difficult to deal with it.
“Who goes there? Ah, it’s you, Greta. What’s happened to the black tower?”
“There’s been a bit of a situation. But…”
Greta took a quiet step back.
“It seems you didn’t come just to welcome me.”
“If I say I’m not happy to see you, I would be lying! I’m enthusiastically welcoming you. Just the way I do it has changed a little.”
The forest keeper smiled slyly.
“…Changed?”
“You were originally a supreme witch, and also a formidable opponent recognized by anyone. Therefore, in the past, it was only natural to treat you as the master of this forest.”
“And?”
“Now, you seem quite faded; I’m merely welcoming you as the nourishment of the Thicket of Thorns. Understand?”
Rustle—Rustle—
Some thorns slowly began to lower their branches. It was as if they were ropes trying to bind Greta’s limbs and neck.
‘This is troublesome.’
The vitality she had left, her tired body.
For Greta, it was quite the predicament.
Ribbit…! Ribbit…!
Only the frogs croaked sorrowfully at that moment.
Swish, swish, swish—!
Swish, swish, swish—!
Suddenly, a sound like a strong wind gusting past her ear struck. It was definitely different from the wind; it felt a bit cooler.
“What’s this annoying noise…”
The forest keeper’s words were left unfinished.
The next moment.
“…!”
WHOOSH—!
What happened before Greta was truly astonishing.
Crack!
Without even seeing the freezing process, the entire Thicket of Thorns was frozen over, with the forest keeper reduced to a mere block of ice.
‘…It’s odd that I and the frogs are unharmed.’
That aspect puzzled Greta.
Tap.
As Greta touched the frozen forest keeper’s forehead with her fingertip.
Swish, swish—!
An ice path rapidly spread out before her. Something was speeding toward her very quickly.
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