5 minutes before the presentation starts.
The 2nd Princess of the Empire and the Mistress of the Imperial Magic Tower, Hedera, was rummaging through the Sale Plan Document with a furrowed brow.
“Hmmm.”
Indeed, her mind was still in a tangled mess.
─Your Majesty, I’ll handle it myself.
─I humbly request that you do not interfere.
She had planned to settle things with Ezekiel in one shot, but ultimately failed. It was as uncomfortable as the crumpled letter in her pocket.
She had considered leaving midway, thinking he was just making excuses, but that decision turned out to be a self-destructive move.
Who would’ve thought he would grab her wrist and leave her with nothing but the word ‘sincerity’? He truly was not a trivial opponent.
Anyway, it was now time to perform her role as the Tower Master for a moment.
“Hah.”
Thinking about performing her duties as Tower Master made her sigh.
‘What’s the point of the presentation anyway?’
This was just a pleading session to not sell the tower, after all.
She had experienced this situation countless times. People wearing awkward smiles to impress Hedera, desperate attitudes since they’d lose their jobs if the tower disappeared…
Although she had generously kept the tower, the circumstances surrounding her had changed and it had become difficult for her.
‘Ascension Ceremony.’
In the Celestial Realm, there exists a monumental event known as the Ascension Ceremony. A grand opportunity to be reborn as a member of the legendary dragons, recognized by owners of Dragon’s Blood.
Hedera intended to eliminate any shortcomings beforehand. Being known as the ‘Owner of a Low-Performing Tower’ was nearly a disgrace.
In fact, thinking of the Ascension Ceremony, there was no reason to attend a presentation.
It would be best to proceed directly with the sale.
However.
Nonetheless, the reason she took her seat was.
─It’s sincere.
…Just that single phrase. He wanted to give her an opportunity.
“Shall I listen?”
If what was written in the letter was truly sincere, what exactly had Ezekiel prepared? Would he be able to present something that would convince Hedera about the gaps he never mentioned?
The escort knight, Valken, subtly lowered his stance.
“Your Highness, do you really want to hear what that person has to say?”
“Okay.”
Of course, if he started spewing nonsense, she would leave immediately.
The initiative was undoubtedly in her hands. All the while that Hedera repeated this fact in her mind, the disturbance in the space came to a halt. Ezekiel finally revealed himself.
Yet, from the start, Hedera’s expectations went awry.
“I thought about it, you know.”
She expected a flowery barrage of words, but that didn’t happen.
She thought he would excessively show pomp and circumstance, but he didn’t.
“It’d be better to just sell this lousy tower.”
“….”
At first, she doubted her ears.
“…?”
And only after a minute did she realize she heard him correctly.
Having confirmed it, she found herself doubting her ears once again.
Finally, one thought blossomed in her mind.
‘What the heck?’
…She couldn’t even guess what he was up to.
At last, the official presentation began.
Crunch, Ezekiel bit into a fresh Sunweed.
“As you all know, the Imperial Magic Tower is a place that utilizes and researches highly advanced magic. Yet, surprisingly, there are still idiots here who can’t even grasp the basics.”
The mages’ heads began spinning rapidly.
What on earth was he trying to say? The Inspector’s thoughts were utterly unclear.
…Even using casual language? But this was not the time to get hung up on it.
Hoo—
And in the moment Ezekiel exhaled a puff of Sunweed smoke, ice sculptures began to erupt from the ground.
“Oh?”
“What the heck, that’s me?”
On everyone’s faces, there was a mixture of surprise and confusion.
They understood that creating such intricate ice sculptures was incredibly difficult, yet at the same time, they couldn’t fathom why those sculptures resembled their own appearances.
While chewing on the Sunweed, Ezekiel continued with the presentation.
“Basic magic ice spears. One scroll is all you need.”
He unfolded the scroll he had prepared in advance.
Woosh!
The scroll tossed into the air transformed into the shape of an ice spear, piercing through the air without any unnecessary embellishments.
“But how about this kind of ice spear?”
Sshhh—!
Bam!
At the end of his words, something tore through the air and slammed into the wall with lightning speed. It moved with such rapidity that even the eye couldn’t follow.
The shape of the tip was sharp, and the speed was incomparable.
The differences were so extreme that it couldn’t even be regarded as the same magic. Sure, the scroll-contained ice spear was designed with 14 strokes, yet Ezekiel’s manifestation consisted of a staggering 80 strokes.
“Why is it that these two spells possess such an extraordinary difference? Just because it’s been strengthened? Has no one seriously investigated this?”
Still, no mage dared to answer.
“Then why is the activation time the same? The amount of spell and activation time should be proportional, that’s common sense, isn’t it?”
Still, no one answered.
Now everyone was focused on Ezekiel’s words.
“You wouldn’t know, would you? You’ve been clinging to the uniqueness of magic, obsessed with new discoveries, to the point where you’ve missed the truly important thing.”
It was at that moment.
Greeeek—
The ice sculptures that resembled everyone began to move, almost as if they possessed a will of their own, creating a miraculous spectacle.
The mages’ mouths fell agape in awe.
“The answer lies in the understanding of yourself. From now on, you must observe not magic, but your own selves. Countless times.”
Clack, clack, clack—
The movements of the ice sculptures were a recreation of the intense duels the mages had fought while Ezekiel was absent.
“…!”
The mages gasped and clung to the railing. It was an instinct that no mage could resist—the desire to see good magic up close for as long as possible.
Of course, Hedera still furrowed her brow.
She didn’t want to admit she was immersing herself in this presentation. She absolutely wanted to deny she was even interested….
Pride and defiance—those two things had merged into a collective result.
“Most of you are just spectators watching others manifest magic, even though you’re supposed to be the practitioners. So what has your life been like?”
Ezekiel pointed to one of the moving sculptures.
The statue seemed to be performing an action of unfolding something, possibly suggesting it had utilized a scroll.
“This fellow activated a rock fall scroll, so let’s connect it with my understanding. Just a few examples.”
Ezekiel unfurled the rock fall scroll.
Pop!
Rocks generated in mid-air began to plummet.
“Changing the elemental action into ice with core strokes.”
He applied his self-understanding to the scroll. The falling rocks transformed into gigantic icicles.
“But it’s not like there’s only a situation for dropping.”
He adjusted the trajectory. Reverse.
The falling icicles shot back up into the air.
This wasn’t telekinesis. This was also a ‘utilization’ of the scroll.
“When quantity matters, effectiveness can sometimes depend on it.”
He meticulously divided the specific stroke, originally marked as a solid line, into countless dotted lines. Immediately, the icicles split into ten identical shapes and crashed to the ground.
With just one rock fall scroll, he had utilized the effects of icicle drop, icicle rise, and icicle splitting and firing—all connected through his understanding.
“….”
Hedera found herself unconsciously fiddling with the mask covering her mouth. It was a long-standing habit she had when intrigued.
For good reason, Ezekiel’s words were purely idealistic.
That was absolutely not basic. Not in the slightest.
‘Why does the phrase ‘It’s easy to say’ even exist in this world?’
Though it might be theoretically possible, many things are almost impossible in practice. If all theories were feasible, there would be no distinction between geniuses and fools.
What Ezekiel was presenting was precisely that.
…Just another easy story to tell. Wasn’t that the case?
Wasn’t it far too difficult to actually attempt it?
“Alright, let’s dig into this scroll.”
But.
If someone stood before her who could achieve that theory with such ease.
If someone was here proving that it wasn’t impossible.
If someone could turn easy words into genuinely easy stories, then within the hearts of the mages, a spark ignited. The yearning to try it out at least once.
“You all possess your unique traits. They’re all different, and at the same time, that’s precisely what you must hold onto—the uniqueness. For that, you must observe yourself countless times.”
Thinking about it, there were no mirrors in the training grounds.
The mages had only watched how others held themselves until now.
Everyone in the training ground had now poured their full focus into Ezekiel. The self they could finally see through the ice sculptures felt both strangely unfamiliar yet delightful at the same time.
The once indifferent self toward their own existence extended a cautious hand toward their selves as mages.
A first handshake, reconciling with their ambitions and courage.
“….”
In Hedera’s heart, sparks flickered as well.
Just as that friction began to narrow down.
In that moment, as if ready to spark a small flame—
“Up to here.”
Suddenly, Ezekiel ceased all actions.
At the same time, all the ice sculptures in the training ground shattered and vaporized into mist. As if nothing had ever happened.
“Oh?”
“Ah!”
“A little more…!”
Sighs instinctively escaped from all around.
In that instant, Hedera also felt a chill run down her spine.
She certainly just felt the emotion of regret a moment ago.
Am I truly feeling regret?
…Was I that interested in Ezekiel’s words?
Everyone except Hedera fixed their eager, impatient gazes on Ezekiel.
They desperately wished for the resumption of his presentation. Stopping here was no different from torture.
“…Well, my basics are somewhat like this.”
Of course, Ezekiel was simply washing down more Sunweed.
“Let’s just sell it. You guys don’t even seem inclined to try.”
Then everyone’s eyes lit up.
It wasn’t a glint of defiance; it was simply a plea.
The mages were now looking at Ezekiel with expressions that practically begged for a chance.
“What’s with those expressions? No?”
The mages nodded with their eyes.
But Ezekiel shook his head once more.
“Still, we can’t do that. This would violate the principles.”
At the same time, a spontaneous laugh burst out.
His smile was full of mischief like a little rascal, yet it wasn’t unpleasant at all.
“If only the 2nd Princess would change her mind…”
And at that moment—every mage’s head turned as quickly as an owl.
The countless pairs of eyes converged directly on the face of the 2nd Princess, Hedera.
“….”
In a brief moment, she sensed what they harbored.
Unlike before, it wasn’t merely a childish plea to spare the sale.
Behind their eyes burned desire.
Hands itching to try it out immediately.
They were finally true mages.
A sight Hedera had never seen before.
“…Hah.”
The Princess ultimately let out a hollow laugh.
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