Ezekiel and his party, after solidifying their plan, embarked on thorough preparations to ensure their success.
Baaam—!
“Ugh!”
Seina rolled on the ground for several rounds. She couldn’t defend against Ezekiel’s ice pellets.
“Ugh…”
The incredible power left her unable to get up easily, trembling as she struggled, but her expression looked delighted.
“…Seina, are you okay?”
“Of course! I’m perfectly fine!”
She replied spiritedly, covered in dust.
It had been a long time since she had the chance to train with Ezekiel, so just the opportunity for joint training was a joy in itself.
“Let’s take a break for a moment.”
However, human stamina has its limits. After training all day, it was finally time to rest for a bit.
The three plopped down side by side to take a breather.
“Your gray ice was a truly great experience, Inspector. It was a lot of fun facing it.”
“Well, that’s a relief.”
“But…”
A hint of worry crossed Seina’s face.
“The elite of the Magic Tower enjoy breaking signs.”
“Breaking signs?”
“It’s an experience of going around the continent and facing excellent mages, but in reality, it’s different. They just kill and snatch their belongings and elixirs.”
Seina frowned as she continued.
“The number of elixirs Zeta has forcibly consumed is uncountable. This time, his outings were particularly long, so he must have come back even stronger.”
“So he’s gained power made up of all kinds of precious elixirs.”
“Exactly! The lightning is golden, and unlike typical Magic Tower lightning, it has the effect of paralyzing opponents’ mana. That’s the secret behind his victories in breaking signs.”
Ezekiel nodded quietly.
A method that paralyzes mana, the very foundation of a mage, was indeed impressive.
“To think they held such a trick, it finally makes sense why the Magic Tower was so confident.”
“Yes. Even if someone from the Imperial Tower comes to enforce punishment, it’s ultimately a mage that appears, isn’t it? As long as the opponent is a mage, they’re absolutely certain they won’t lose.”
Then Seina hurriedly added.
“I’m not thinking of my master’s defeat at all. I just worry I might not fulfill my role. What if it’s like that time in the underground maze….”
Mentioning the underground maze instantly darkened the faces of Agnes and Seina.
They felt a sense of responsibility for Ezekiel being kidnapped into the Demon Realm due to their lack of ability. Though it wasn’t like that in reality.
“It’s okay; it wasn’t your fault.”
Ezekiel gave their heads a gentle pat. The women blinked quietly.
“And this time, we won’t fail, absolutely.”
Finally, it was time to execute the plan.
The Magic Tower’s influence was hitting the skies.
City of Clatie.
A branch temporarily built by the Magic Tower.
On a long chair, Zeta lay on his side, propping his head with one arm, observing the situation with an incredibly bored expression.
“Next!”
Elder Gendiz of the Magic Tower shouted.
The building, hastily erected, resembled a very vast courtroom, with elders sitting in front as if they were judges.
Creeeak—
Only one person is allowed in at a time. The door opened, and a citizen of the Empire quietly entered.
But this time, unusually, there were two people.
A man dragged in a severely beaten woman, bound. It looked like there was a story behind it.
“Hmmm, what seems to be the matter?”
Elder Gendiz asked.
“I’ve detected a fiend. But I’m just an ordinary citizen. I can’t muster the courage to deal with a fiend myself, so I ask for a proxy judgment.”
“Incorrect…incorrect!”
The woman cried out in a pitiful voice.
“Someone tried to assault me, but since it didn’t go as he wanted, he’s framing me as a fiend! I’m truly innocent…!”
Gendiz’s gaze shifted to Zeta, who was lounging in a long chair in the corner. Yawn, the elite of the Magic Tower showed no interest.
Zeta directly asked.
“Hey, the proxy judgment costs quite a bit, you know.”
“Cost? I’ve prepared a whole bunch of gold coins. Truly, this should be worth it for the noble Magic Tower dignitaries.”
“Hmmm….”
Even as the woman sent desperate glances, Zeta remained uninterested. He felt like he was just watching some insects have a conversation.
“Proceed, Elder.”
That was all.
“I’m just an ordinary human! I’m not a fiend! Is this really okay?”
The woman’s cries didn’t last long.
Crack crack—!
“Ugh…!”
The moment the lightning struck, the woman’s eyes rolled back. It was unspeakable agony to endure.
The once beautiful woman quickly turned into a charred corpse. The man who had come to make the request was sweating profusely at the horrific sight.
“Double the amount of gold coins promised. Next.”
“Yes, yes….”
Even as Zeta unexpectedly doubled the price, the man left without a word. He felt no hope of resistance after witnessing the power of the lightning.
City of Clatie.
Fiends hiding all around the city? In other words, this meant that anyone harboring grievances could be killed if they were deemed a fiend.
Thus, many, like the man just now, came carrying bundles of gold coins to settle their grudges.
The Magic Tower reaped every benefit regarding that. It was beginning to reign like an emperor.
Hehehe, laughter erupted among the elders.
“City of Clatie, no different from a gold mine!”
“The profits we’ve made already are immense. We could renovate the grounds of the Purple Magic Tower.”
“We could expand as well. Since this city is rich, there’s plenty to pilfer from our perspective.”
After that, during meals, the talk was variously about money, and how to extort the wealth of the citizens of the Empire.
“The Imperial Magic Tower doesn’t look like it will come at all?”
“It’s been a week already; they have yet to show up! They must have run away.”
“Actually, it’s fine. Let’s start collecting protective fees from next week. We can use that for regular income.”
Zeta found the conversation boring and got up to leave. The elders all simultaneously bowed to him.
As he went outside, a wave of people awaited Zeta. Each one gazed at him with admiration, and Zeta found it amusing.
You could watch it endlessly without getting tired of it.
“It’s Zeta!”
“Zeta! Purify this city with your lightning!”
“He truly looks like a hero. How could someone so virtuous be in this city…. A blessing….”
Praise me more. More!
Though Zeta found everything else boring, this was something he could listen to forever.
Just then, someone shouted.
“Zeta! May I ask? I heard you will start collecting protective fees from next week. Is it true?”
“It’s true.”
Zeta replied promptly.
And before the questioner could say anything else, he cut in, continuing.
“Citizens of Clatie, you all know that this place was originally supposed to be jointly protected by the Imperial Tower and the Magic Tower, right?”
“Yes? Yes….”
“With the two towers supposed to protect, putting the burden solely on the Magic Tower is quite a heavy load. We actually debated a lot about it….”
Zeta put on a serious expression.
“If we don’t collect protective fees, it would create a deficit so severe that the Magic Tower couldn’t remain here.”
Later, he even acted pitiful.
“Of course, we don’t want to burden the citizens of the Empire. So the protective fee is not compulsory, and we are also considering the option of simply leaving.”
“Ugh!”
“Ugh!”
At those words, gasps were heard everywhere.
The Purple Magic Tower’s influence was reaching the skies. The thought of them leaving Clatie was nothing short of terrifying for the citizens of the Empire.
It was a crafty instigation, and they all had been perfectly brainwashed.
“I will support you wholeheartedly. Anything but leaving!”
“Please don’t abandon us!”
“Those despicable Imperial Tower bastards! We can pay any amount. Please, just stay with us….”
Just as Zeta was internally laughing at them,
Gugugu—!
With a tremendous noise, the sky darkened. Black clouds gathered ominously.
Simultaneously, a massive surge of energy shook the air.
It was undoubtedly mana.
—Protection?
In such a massive crowd, there was a moment when not a single sound could be heard. The voices were overwhelmingly gravitas.
—You dare to stand against our Demon Realm?
Two figures emerged, standing in mid-air. Their faces undetectable, cloaked in black robes from head to toe.
“Fi, Fiends…?”
When someone mumbled that.
—Today.
The two dark figures spoke in unison.
—We will correct the Purple Magic Tower’s habits.
It was a truly bold declaration of war.
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