Current time, 7:50 PM.
“This is the Magic Tower Training Ground.”
Soon, the Empire’s 2nd Princess, Hedera, will visit the Magic Tower.
Ezekiel, having received the news, followed Agnes’ guidance to the training ground, accompanied by the leaders of both factions, Nox and Widro.
The training ground had a total of two floors, allowing a view of the lower area from the upper edge. Naturally, we were currently standing on the upper level.
“Mm.”
Ezekiel silently surveyed the area below.
A lot of people were gathered in the Magic Tower Training Ground.
However, a strange discomfort loomed.
“Agnes, the 2nd Princess is scheduled to arrive at 10 o’clock, right?”
“That’s what we’ve been informed.”
Two hours.
Now, there was only that much time left.
“Alright. Continue the tour.”
I leaned back in my chair and took a sunweed, crunch, the sensation exploding in my mouth. Excellent.
“The space is not only spacious but also has excellent durability. Experimental use of research-level magic, power and efficacy testing… You can consider that all regular manifestations are done here.”
Ezekiel quietly nodded.
“Your guidance is quite skilled.”
“I’ve spent quite some time at the Magic Tower.”
“Is your nose alright?”
Just a moment ago, Agnes had bumped her face against the door. It was so loud I couldn’t help but ask.
“I’m fine.”
“Hmm, you should wipe the blood first before claiming that.”
“…!”
Agnes hurriedly touched her nose, but there was no blood on her hand. It was just a joke after all.
“…The situation is urgent. Please don’t joke around.”
“Anyway, the training ground is a mess. It needs fixing.”
“In what way is it a mess?”
The discomfort Ezekiel felt was the source of the mess.
This training ground lacks duels.
‘No one is sparring.’
Training and dueling should be inseparable, yet despite the number of people, no one was dueling.
“Experimental use, power testing, practical applicability… One duel could confirm it all. But no one is dueling.”
“Oh, Inspector. Sparring is problematic.”
Nox chimed in.
He occasionally hiccuped, still somewhat tipsy, but managed to push up his glasses and continued.
“According to the directive from the 2nd Princess, we prioritize exploration. Sparring isn’t appropriate for this place.”
“Interesting.”
Ezekiel chuckled.
“Hm? What do you find interesting?”
“Everything.”
He exhaled the sunweed smoke, then spat.
“Child. You’re treated just like that.”
“…What?”
Leaving a child in a magical playground to their own devices.
It seems Hedera views them just that way.
—Do whatever you want, as long as it doesn’t cause problems.
Hedera had issued a directive like that, and nothing’s more likely to stir trouble than sparring. Sure enough, dueling had been forbidden inside the Magic Tower.
Ezekiel’s gaze landed on Agnes.
“Agnes, combat is included in the performance evaluation, right?”
“Yes, it is.”
“…Yet no one is sparring? Even a passing dog would laugh at this.”
It’s absurd to discard an item that’s explicitly included in the performance evaluation.
In other Magic Towers, they can just focus on their strong points, but the Imperial Magic Tower has nothing to showcase. It’s not in a position to be picky.
“Hey, Inspector.”
At that moment, Widro spoke cautiously.
“I understand your enthusiasm to try this and that, but right now, we aren’t in a position to visit the training ground, are we? Take a look at the situation on the first floor.”
Ezekiel followed the old man’s gaze to the first floor.
“….”
The mages who met his gaze quickly averted their eyes.
They looked indecisive and aimless. Just watching them alone gave a clear sense of the first floor’s disorder.
The sharpened sensitivity of trained mages also affects their hearing. Because of this, Ezekiel could hear all the murmurs.
“The newly appointed inspector is quite impressive, but…”
“Inspector or not, we’re talking about the 2nd Princess. What if she gets angry after breaking her directive?”
“Seemingly inexperienced, right? So perhaps they have the courage? They seem utterly unaware of how vicious the 2nd Princess can be…”
Sure enough, the stories pertained only to the 2nd Princess.
“Besides, this visit is supposedly for the sale of the Magic Tower, right?”
“They’re selling the Imperial Magic Tower? To whom?”
“If it doesn’t sell, it could just be disposed of. Leaving it like this is just wasting maintenance costs. What should we do now?”
The newly appointed inspector, the infamous princess.
It was natural to be wary of the latter. Everyone was shaking in their boots, terrified of the 2nd Princess.
Widro clicked his tongue.
“The entire tower is paralyzed by the news of the 2nd Princess’ visit. We shouldn’t be just hanging around in the training ground; we need to come up with a countermeasure. We can’t just do nothing until 10 o’clock.”
The old man seemed anxious and urged them on.
“Are you listening to me? We can’t welcome the Princess in this messy state! It would be a huge problem!”
Of course.
Ezekiel merely shook his head dismissively.
“Stop the fuss. I’ve already come up with a plan.”
He had his countermeasure ready and stepped into the training ground.
“…A plan?”
The nearby three pair of eyes widened. Ezekiel nonchalantly chewed on a piece of sunweed.
“First and foremost, the purpose of the 2nd Princess’ visit is the sale. It’s definite.”
“You mean this is more than just hearsay, a confirmed fact?”
“Absolutely. Now is the best time to sell at a high price.”
The pitiful state of this place had yet to be revealed to the outside world.
However, if the results remain as they are on the day of presentation, the value of the Magic Tower would plummet. For the 2nd Princess, now is the perfect time to sell high.
Agnes blinked quietly.
“So, what plan do you have in mind?”
“…It’s simple. We clean up nicely.”
Nox pushed up his glasses again and jumped in.
“It’s much safer to avoid incurring the Princess’s wrath by cleaning up than provoking her with unnecessary actions. We can observe her reaction first and then decide on further actions.”
“…That makes sense. Inspector, is that the plan?”
However, Ezekiel shook his head firmly.
“That’s nonsense.”
Of course, Nox’s view was completely rational.
It was common, logical, and since most held similar thoughts to Nox, they were letting time slip away while waiting for the Princess in silence.
But.
Ezekiel knew that such an approach wouldn’t do.
“If we do that, we’ll be late.”
“What do you mean by late?”
“Just as it says. If we wait to report and act, we’ll definitely be late.”
At present, Hedera is a cold-blooded princess.
She knows how to weigh practicality and rarely retracts a judgment once made. As soon as she arrives at the Magic Tower, she is likely to proceed with the sale, ignoring everything else.
Requests like ‘Please listen for a moment’ hold no meaning. She would never listen to such pleas.
Thus, there’s only one way.
To change Hedera’s mind. For that…
“This place, the Magic Tower, has to be transformed.”
As soon as Hedera steps in, the Imperial Magic Tower must arouse her interest. A landscape that captivates her gaze and elements that draw her allure.
Nox ran a hand through his hair in frustration.
“…You mean to change this place? In two hours?”
“Exactly.”
“In just two hours, and in a way that the 2nd Princess would like? Talk is cheap! Is that even possible?”
Nox spoke in disbelief.
“Throwing dice on the table with the Imperial Magic Tower as the stakes? Just clean up instead. Please, I’m begging you, Inspector!”
“To turn a crisis into an opportunity, one must be ready to take chances, right?”
Good opportunities are always fraught with peril. Conversely, perilous situations always present a good opportunity. That’s one of the realizations he had in life.
Agnes parted her lips.
“…But execution is the problem. Everyone seems too preoccupied with chaos, and there doesn’t seem to be room for following orders.”
Agnes’ gaze turned toward the first floor.
The mages there remained indecisive. They just shivered in place, waiting for the princess to arrive.
However, Ezekiel seemed to have anticipated that too.
“I understand. They’re just all cowards.”
“They’re not cowards; that’s a sensible judgment. How many people in the Empire wouldn’t fear the 2nd Princess?”
“Agnes has a point.”
Widro joined in.
“The moment they comply with your orders, they become accomplices. If the Princess does get furious, can you bear the consequences? Do you think you can willingly take responsibility for everyone here?”
“Responsibility?”
But.
Ezekiel only smiled lightly.
“Responsibility.”
A smile. Yet, not quite like that of a mischievous child, but more something akin to knowing he can easily bear the weight everyone else struggles with.
“I’ll take it. The responsibility.”
Suddenly, he recalled fragments from the past.
—Ezekiel, just this once, take responsibility for the continent. If you can just manage to close the gate to the Demon Realm…
—Ezekiel, you’re responsible for the lives of your comrades…
—Ezekiel, it’s your responsibility.
Thud, the stems of the sunweed dropped to the floor.
“…I’ve already lost count of how many times I’ve done that.”
Ezekiel lightly snapped his fingers.
Vroooom—
Immediately, the entire training ground shook.
“Whoa!”
“What’s happening?!”
As everyone was bewildered, frozen statues rose up from both ends of the training ground. Their forms resembled a beautiful woman with closed eyes, as if she were about to lift her eyelids any moment.
The astonished mages gaped in awe.
“Huh?”
“Wow. She’s beautiful…”
However, their pure admiration was short-lived.
Fwoooosh—
The two statues began exhaling icy breaths. The mages quickly began to sense something awry with their bodies.
“It’s really cold, isn’t it?”
“My body is freezing! What the heck is going on?!”
Frost began to creep onto the skins of the mages. They all looked up at Ezekiel on the second floor with wide eyes.
“Stop the fuss.”
Ezekiel casually leaned against the railing and spoke.
“If you stay still, you’ll freeze. But it’s okay if you use your mana. So from now on, focus on using magic. Pair up and spar if possible; that would be even better.”
“What do you mean…?!”
“What? Are you waiting? Hurry up and use your magic.”
“Ahhhhh—!”
Better than questioning was to avoid freezing. Before long, a chaotic scene unfolded on the first floor with everyone randomly unleashing their spells in duels.
“….”
The three nearby stared at Ezekiel with disbelief.
Ezekiel merely pulled out a piece of sunweed.
“The entire staff inside the Imperial Magic Tower is being coerced by me and forced into dueling to survive. That should suffice, right?”
“….”
For them, staring at him in disbelief was the only viable option. Though the method was undoubtedly bizarre, the fact that Ezekiel would bear all the responsibility was also true.
Someone on the first floor shouted.
“Ahh, ahhh! That inspector is out of his mind!”
“I’ve always been out of my mind.”
Whether back then, or now, that’s just how he was.
With Ezekiel’s smile came a momentary calm.
He stared intently at the lower floor, keenly.
As a mage’s eyes, observantly.
As a leader’s eyes, resolutely.
As a pioneer’s eyes, thoroughly.
At some moment, Ezekiel closed his eyes.
One second.
Two seconds.
And finally, five seconds.
He opened his eyelids and spoke.
“We don’t even have to wait until 10 o’clock. Tell them to come by 9.”
That was the tone of one who had found the answer.
At 10 PM. The entrance to the Imperial Magic Tower.
Whoosh—
The night wind brushed across a woman’s figure.
It was a figure sculpted by a skilled artist, embodying perfection to the point that the term “flawless” might seem an understatement.
In the darkness, only her red eyes glimmered.
She stood with her arms crossed, silently gazing at the tower.
Whoosh—
Once more, the night breeze blew, causing the sale plan document in her grip to flutter violently. At one moment, a delicate piece of paper caught in its midst was tossed into the air.
Swiftly, she captured it between her fingers.
It was a single envelope.
Click-clack—click-clack—
The 2nd Princess Hedera.
She finally set foot at the entrance of the Imperial Magic Tower.
“…Ha.”
Behind the mask, nobody could read her expression.
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