‘That is the Sun Elixir.’
In the world, it was a being whose existence was even doubted.
Since Ezekiel had desperately worked for it, it had to be something amazing, and it seemed to be that way. Just a few drops were enough for Ezekiel to feel the heat.
“First, shall we see your performance?”
As Ezekiel took out the disk from his robe, an unknown telekinesis moved it onto the throne.
A moment later, the Emperor spoke.
“It seems you really wanted the Sun Elixir.”
There was a hint of a smile in his voice.
“I thought it would be an outrageous deal, but to return with it completed so flawlessly… It’s clear how much you desired the Sun Elixir.”
“I apologize if I was too obvious.”
“No need to apologize. It’s a pleasant thing for me as well.”
The chalice in the air shimmered.
“As one ascending to the throne, I cannot speak falsehoods. I will grant you the agreement we made.”
At last, the Sun Elixir was descending.
Ezekiel took a deep breath for the first time in a long while. Even after all this, his heart wouldn’t settle down.
“Ezekiel. I shall praise your three achievements.”
The Emperor began speaking again, but it wasn’t clear to Ezekiel’s ears. Frankly, he only wished for the story to end quickly.
The desire for the Sun Elixir was too intense.
“You faithfully fulfilled the five conditions, you saved the imperial family’s face this time, and you brought back the vision technique from the Black Tower intact.”
The disk spun around in the air.
“In particular, this technique called ‘Taxidermy’ that you brought from the Black Tower is quite interesting. There must be many ways to utilize it.”
“I’m glad you acknowledge it.”
Today, the Emperor was quite fair.
He didn’t belittle or overlook Ezekiel’s achievements but rather pointed them out one by one.
Perhaps it was because this undertaking was a deal rather than a mission.
That was when the sleeve of the robe stirred.
In the next moment, a truly bizarre thing happened.
All the heat waves in the audience chamber began to be sucked into the Emperor’s sleeves. This was the scenery that just a single drop had shown—unrealistic.
“What you desired so much is this.”
Fwoosh─!
Whoosh…
The air inside the audience chamber stirred as if it were igniting. If an ordinary human had stepped foot here, they would have surely suffered from heat.
“It’s the Sun Elixir.”
On the Emperor’s robe lay sunlight shining like lava. It flowed like a liquid but had the strong resilience of a solid.
“…”
Ezekiel silently contemplated it.
Suddenly, a gust of wind from the droplet of Sun Elixir brushed past him. It was the strongest heat he had ever felt in his life.
Whoosh─
The sight of the droplet blazing was almost miraculous. It was something he could gaze upon forever without growing weary.
Just looking at it caused a warmth to flood his eyes.
He now understood why no elixir could even compare to the Sun Elixir. Everything about it, from its appearance to its energy, was different—it was something from beyond this world.
“I occasionally pay attention to rumors from the continent. There are those who doubt the existence of the Sun Elixir, and others who regard it as a panacea.”
The Emperor muttered.
“Not a single story is correct. In the first place, Sunweed is not something that can be summed up as an elixir or medicine.”
“If that’s the case, then what in the world is the Sun Elixir…?”
“Those who haven’t experienced it cannot comment on it.”
At that moment, the droplet of Sun Elixir took on the shape of a tiny elemental. It began to approach Ezekiel, taking small, careful steps.
It was fascinating. It clearly wasn’t of this world.
“Try to embrace it.”
The moment Ezekiel began to quietly open his mouth, the Emperor clicked his tongue as if to say that wasn’t the way.
“You don’t eat it with your mouth. You feel it with your heart.”
Wow…
Through that statement, Ezekiel realized the Sun Elixir was a treasure that transcended the laws of the world. Even the method of acquiring it was considered legendary. An item beyond logic.
‘Something to absorb with my heart…’
In the past, while undertaking a mission, he had heard something.
—Captain, do you know of the elixir that’s absorbed with the heart?
—What’s that about?
—To forcibly transfer someone’s life force beyond the realm, it can only be transferred in that way. Why is this coming to mind now…
Perhaps the Sun Elixir was something that absorbed with the heart.
Could it be that it shares the Emperor’s immortality? That tremendous life force bestowed upon Ezekiel.
That was not a thought he could dare speak aloud. It was still merely a conjecture on Ezekiel’s part.
He would gradually learn more about the Sun Elixir.
What mattered right now was that the Sun Elixir stood before him and that he could finally take it.
Ezekiel stood tall, chest puffed out.
He waited for the size of a finger’s worth of Sun Elixir spirit to walk into his body.
Finally, just as it came within reach.
“Hmm?”
Ezekiel voiced his confusion. The elemental was simply circling him, acting as if it wouldn’t touch him.
Eventually, the Emperor stepped down from the throne.
“It seems even the Sun Elixir has never encountered a constitution like yours before. It’s curious and hesitant.”
A faint form materialized at the edge of the Emperor’s robe. It looked like an ordinary human hand.
Poke.
The tip of a finger poked the back of the Sun Elixir.
The Sun Elixir lightly passed through Ezekiel’s chest and entered. Straight to his heart.
At the same time.
Consciousness faded.
.
.
.
.
.
“Gah…!”
Only after some time did Ezekiel blink his eyes open, regaining his senses. It seemed his consciousness had momentarily flown away.
Instead of confusion, he felt a sense of relief. His instincts whispered to him. That being alive right now was a miracle.
And it was finally the beginning.
Whoosh!
Something inside him ignited intensely.
It felt as if he were buried in a depthless lava, simultaneously burning his very soul. It was overwhelming.
It was not just simple pain. It was a specific realm.
He felt as though he had fallen into a world he should never step foot in. An unimaginable euphoria surged, making him enter an awakening state.
His senses became extraordinarily sharp.
He felt like he could dissect every particle of air that touched his skin, and if he let go of his mind for even a moment, he might spiral into madness.
It was hot. It was hot. It was hot…
That moment felt eternal.
No matter how much he tried to pull up a chill, it was futile. Just as Ezekiel felt he was about to burn away everything he had.
The Emperor stepped in.
“Let’s stop here for now.”
As the Emperor poked Ezekiel’s chest with his finger, the Sun Elixir spirit popped out as if it had been waiting, rising to the Emperor’s shoulder.
Fizz!
Only then did Ezekiel exhale heavily.
He tried to cool off, pulling up a chill, but it didn’t work. It felt as if everything in his body had burned away.
Was there anything ruder than lying flat before the Emperor? He wanted to get up, but it was impossible.
Fortunately, the Emperor didn’t seem to have a problem with it.
“Ezekiel, you still can’t do it. The child is frightened.”
Ezekiel, still lying down, asked.
“…Frightened? I don’t understand what that means.”
“It means your constitution is not low, but the Sun Elixir finds you daunting and hesitates to enter. You should think of your body as a massive mansion.”
“I thought about it.”
“You are a mansion frozen solid. Who would want to live in a place like that? The Sun Elixir is the same.”
“…”
To be thwarted by such reasons while attempting to act was an experience Ezekiel had never encountered in his life. He had always been excellent.
“Then what was that just now?”
“The Sun Elixir ran around your body. It was checking if there was a livable space, but it apparently deemed it completely unsuitable.”
Ezekiel quietly thought that the 1st Princess had such great compatibility with the Sun Elixir because she could absorb it so easily.
And there was one more thing.
“And the identity of the Sun Elixir is…?”
“Your guess is correct.”
The Emperor agreed immediately.
“The Sun Elixir does not merely turn ordinary people into superhumans. It turns superhumans into transcendent beings, and transcendent beings can absorb more Sun Elixir to become stronger.”
It wasn’t difficult to comprehend.
The Sun Elixir was not meant to turn the weak into the strong. Instead, it was a stepping stone to truly forge the strong into the strongest.
“If you can absorb the Sun Elixir, you can reach the ranks of superhumans. But that’s only if you manage to absorb it. It’s impossible with an ordinary constitution.”
“Is there no way for me to accept it?”
“You are in a very special situation. Your constitution isn’t low, but the Sun Elixir is frightened and reluctant to enter. Hmm…”
A moment of silence followed.
Could it be that he would never be able to incorporate the Sun Elixir into his body? Just as Ezekiel began to worry about that.
“It’s not that there’s absolutely no way.”
Unexpected good news echoed in his ears.
“Ezekiel, there is one method available.”
“Oh.”
Ezekiel focused his ears, desperate to hear what this method was, regardless of what it was.
“It involves taking a somewhat neutralized version of the Sun Elixir.”
“I’m eager. I want to try it out.”
Ezekiel felt it in his bones.
The heat of the Sun Elixir would significantly help in changing his constitution. He had to figure out a way to take it in, no matter the means.
“The 1st Princess has had the Sun Elixir in her body since childhood, so when it passes through her, it becomes neutralized once.”
“Yes.”
“There might be a way to unite with the 1st Princess.”
“Unite…?”
Ezekiel muttered that word in a daze.
And a moment of silence followed.
After a while, Ezekiel tilted his head.
“Unite…?”
Unite? Could it be that kind of uniting he was thinking of?
He looked at the Emperor with wide eyes, but the Emperor seemed to affirm that expectation.
“Indeed, I mean to say to achieve yin-yang unity.”
“…!”
Ezekiel’s eyes widened in shock.
So what the Emperor meant was…
‘To have intimate relations?’
He was talking about having relations with the 1st Princess, Ether.
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