Inside the Imperial Palace’s Holy Temple.
Under the sunlight pouring through the cracks of the window, the 3rd Princess Solana was earnestly praying.
Suddenly, she burst into laughter with her eyes closed.
“Indeed… My teacher is extraordinary…”
She had received some incredible news.
After visiting the Black Tower’s domain, he achieved remarkable feats in an incredibly short time. Just how limitless could his potential be?
Because of that, her feelings of support were even more rewarding.
However, was there nothing that could be done now? As an Inspector, Ezekiel’s name was becoming more famous by the day, and more people were starting to recognize him.
‘…He was originally my own teacher.’
A crane hiding among chickens inevitably stands out. Especially since Ezekiel, comparable to a phoenix, had entered the world, it was only natural for him to become famous.
‘Well, everyone would have to recognize his greatness.’
He managed to obtain several drops of the Sun Elixir, something that was impossible to acquire even a single drop of. Solana thought it was truly a remarkable achievement.
How much did the Emperor treasure the Sun Elixir?
There was a reason it was only distributed to the 1st Princess among the royal daughters. The quantity was limited, and it had to be used as efficiently as possible.
To think he could obtain such a divine thing so easily…
As expected, Solana’s teacher was the best.
“…Hmm?”
At that moment, Solana sensed a presence.
Unlike an ordinary mage, there was a slightly sinister aura, but it was by no means harmful. She turned her head to see a wizard wearing a pointed hat.
It was the witch, the Black Tower Master, Greta.
“What brings you here?”
“…Y-Your Highness!”
How shocking would it be to meet a princess right after entering the Imperial Palace? Though Greta was very surprised, thankfully, Solana didn’t make a fuss about it.
“I’ll greet you first. I’m the Black Tower Master.”
“Feel free. Just relax.”
“….”
Greta looked awkward as if she didn’t know how to treat the princess, but Solana smiled brightly first.
“What brings you to the Imperial Palace?”
“…Ah, I have a debt of gratitude to repay.”
After saying that, Greta took off her pointed hat and rummaged through the inside. As if it were some kind of pocket dimension, elixirs and gold coins spilled out.
Solana tilted her head slightly.
“A debt of gratitude? Who are you repaying?”
“Hmm?”
Greta replied honestly right away.
“I was hoping to repay the grand debt to the Imperial Tower’s Inspector.”
A story about Ezekiel! Solana’s eyes widened.
“So, the Inspector of the Imperial Magic Tower, Ezekiel?”
“Yes. That’s correct.”
“Then why not go to the Imperial Magic Tower?”
Once she realized that it was about Ezekiel, Solana had a sudden surge of questions.
“I already heard. I was instructed to come to the palace…”
“Ah, I see.”
“The Inspector of the Imperial Tower provided great assistance to the Black Tower. He dealt with problematic individuals and helped me regain my position as the Black Tower Master.”
“Ah, right. I heard about that.”
“So I brought some things…”
Greta started rummaging through her hat again, and Solana leaned in to take a look.
…Should I interfere? Or not? To interfere or not?
Since it originally was a matter of the Black Tower and Ezekiel, she shouldn’t interfere, but Solana couldn’t just let it be.
“Hmm, I don’t think such a repayment would be good.”
“…Huh? Is that so?”
“Of course. I know a lot about the Inspector.”
Then Solana started a lengthy lecture. What Ezekiel liked, what he disliked… She began to elaborate on what would make him happy as a repayment.
“….”
The Black Tower Master listened attentively as the princess spoke, yet had no idea what was going on.
“Aren’t you taking notes? This is very important information.”
“Ah, yes… I’ll write it down immediately…”
The sudden lecture continued for quite some time.
Once this explanation was over, she would go see her teacher.
Solana thought to herself. Since they were talking about her teacher, her longing had grown stronger.
Inside the Imperial Palace, in the 2nd Princess’s Domain, Office.
The 2nd Princess, Hedera, was still diligently focused on her paperwork. She was organizing what Ezekiel had accomplished and what he had received.
It was a task done in cooperation with the Ministry of Documents.
“Let’s see…”
She meticulously needed to record and confirm what he had done and received. Since she had resolved to look after Ezekiel, no details could be overlooked.
Fortunately, this time Ezekiel had received quite a bit of good stuff—elixirs, the Sun Elixir, gold coins… They couldn’t get any better than this.
“Your Highness… You shouldn’t skip meals…”
Tether, in a corner of the office, murmured with concern.
“Eating is not the issue right now.”
Hedera responded firmly.
“The Inspector has put in so much effort; it wouldn’t do at all for any rewards to be overlooked. We need to support the Inspector well to keep his spirits up.”
“Your words are certainly valid…”
“First, you focus too. Have you finished recording the gold coins?”
“Ah, yes. Here…”
And so the night work continued.
One hour passed,
Two hours,
Three hours…
“Haah…”
Only when they were completely exhausted did they finally finish some of the work, and Hedera finally collapsed onto the bed. Tether crawled away, barely making it home.
Hedera stared blankly at the ceiling.
Her body was utterly fatigued, yet her mind was wide awake. It was a strange feeling that prevented her from sleeping.
‘…I want to see him just once.’
The cause was probably Ezekiel.
Having worked on matters related to him naturally made her want to see him. Was he making good use of his rewards? Had he become happier than before…?
She was filled with curiosity about all of it.
In the end, Hedera got out of bed and simply put on her outerwear. She planned to go see Ezekiel.
But then…
Ding ding—! Ding ding—!
The contact crystal made a loud noise.
“…”
Hedera’s brow furrowed instinctively. The sender was someone very precious within the Empire.
The 4th Princess, Chain.
She had contacted her through the crystal.
“Hm.”
She was said to be wandering around the continent, but why was she contacting Ezekiel in particular?
However, Hedera moved to sit before the crystal. Given the time, it must be something rather important.
Ding ding—!
[Contact request from the sender accepted.]
[Voice connected with the sender.]
—I’m the head of the Celestial Market, Chain. It’s been a while since I’ve heard the voice of the 2nd Princess…
“What’s going on?”
Hedera replied tersely.
If the 2nd Princess was the one quietly doing her tasks, then Chain was a snake desperately hiding her true intentions.
Suddenly, the image of the 4th Princess came to mind.
‘…A pure white silver snake.’
With a tongue that one couldn’t decipher, she would look exactly like the 4th Princess if a colossal amount of silver coins were melted down and shaped into a snake.
Whenever the 4th Princess contacted her first, she always had some ulterior motive, so being cautious and suspicious was essential.
—The moon hangs beautifully in the sky, so let’s enjoy some gambling for old times’ sake.
“I’m not interested.”
Was she now going so far as to propose a gamble to the 2nd Princess? Just as Hedera was about to disconnect the crystal immediately…
—Please listen until the end.
The 4th Princess Chain’s alluring voice continued.
—Though I mention gambling, I haven’t spoken of gold coins at all. I was thinking of placing something you desire heavily on the line. How about the fang of a dragon?
“…”
The fang of a dragon?
Hedera’s ears perked up. It was well known that one could significantly enhance their resistance to poison by effectively utilizing a dragon’s fang.
If she gave it to the Inspector, it would be incredibly useful.
“…”
Suddenly, Hedera imagined Ezekiel’s face lighting up when he received the fang. What if there was a moment where he looked directly at her and expressed his gratitude?
Ah, wouldn’t that feel wonderful?
“Alright. What’s the game?”
—Let’s just play a few cards lightly.
At the same time, the crystal projected a table for a card game. Blue mists gathered to form the cards, allowing them to play even from a distance.
“Let’s start.”
—It seems you took a fancy to the dragon’s fang. However, remember that the more haste, the more you must circle back…
The card game began.
She initially planned to place only a small amount of gold coins, wanting to keep it light.
“…?”
Just as she realized it, her gold coins had been fleeced immensely. By the time she came to her senses, she was on a terrible losing streak.
—I’m starting to get tired. Let’s end it here for today.
“Hey, wait a minute. Why are you deciding that on your own…!”
—Use the gold coins you’ve received wisely. Thanks to you, I can purchase more happiness for my men.
“What? Do you have a man now?”
[The connection was cut off.]
“…”
The 2nd Princess stared blankly at the notification from the crystal, then her expression soured. She had been fooled again.
For the nth time, her gold coins had vanished.
“…4th Princess, that girl is something else!”
Hedera stormed out of the office in fury.
The only thing that could calm her down was, of course, Ezekiel.
“Hmm?”
The dedicated secretary of the Inspector of the Imperial Magic Tower, Agnes.
As usual, she was wandering with her sharp bob cut flowing in the wind, and today’s destination was near the 1st Princess’s mansion. She had come to find Ezekiel.
“I have to prepare for the next expedition…”
She wasn’t even planning to go inside, just resting her hand on the front door’s handle when unexpectedly, the door opened weakly. It hadn’t even been locked in the first place.
“Oh.”
Agnes immediately tried to step back.
However…
Her feet wouldn’t move.
Something unbelievable struck her ears.
‘…Moans?’
It was unmistakable. The intertwined sounds of men and women.
‘Unity…? The Inspector and the 1st Princess…?’
The target was even more shocking.
“…!”
At the same time, she sensed a presence in the distance.
It was unmistakably the 2nd Princess.
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