With the 2nd Princess Hedera’s escort knight Valken at the forefront, the knights began to scour every corner of Ruiple.
If the info they had collected beforehand was correct, they were bound to encounter monsters and fiends without a moment’s rest.
However, the reality they faced in Ruiple was the exact opposite.
“How about over there?”
“Not a single one. I can’t even sense mana.”
Hearing the report, Valken frowned slightly.
‘Not even a low-level demonic beast in sight, let alone a fiend.’
This was completely unexpected.
He had at least been worried there might be a stronger fiend lurking around, but to have not even a low-level beast show up? That was unexpected.
“Here, another monster corpse!”
“What’s the cause of death?”
“There are sword wounds that look like they were made by a human. It seems like it was taken care of by that woman, Tirbi.”
Valken was not impressed by Tirbi.
He thought she was just a pathetic creature hoping for entrance into the Imperial Knight Order while talking about cooperation, but contrary to Valken’s thoughts, she seemed to have some real substance.
Wiping the sweat off his brow, a knight asked.
“Valken, we’ve circled Ruiple completely. What should we do from now?”
“Hmm…”
Kill count: 0. In other words, performance: 0.
This was something Valken had never even considered. In other words, the security set by Tirbi was that impressive.
‘In any case, I have to achieve better results than Ezekiel.’
If Ruiple is a safe area, that would be good news in itself, but Valken wasn’t betting just for the safety of this place.
The 2nd Princess, Hedera, must achieve perfection.
As her loyal servant, Valken believed she needed to remain flawless. She had to pass the ascension ceremony in the Celestial Realm without a hitch, becoming the pride of the Empire.
However…
Ezekiel was the impediment to that perfection.
Something Valken could hardly comprehend, steadily creating fissures in Hedera’s mind. A hindrance. An impurity.
Thus, eliminating Ezekiel was Valken’s destiny.
‘The moment I win this bet, he will be endlessly suspected of being unfit for the inspector’s role. That will be just the beginning.’
But what could he possibly be doing right now?
“What is the inspector currently doing?”
“Looks like he’s just enjoying a festival.”
“…Foolish brat. Does he think Ruiple is a place without eyes or ears? It’s obvious this news will spread.”
What a pathetic scenario. Valken clicked his tongue.
“That idiot’s an inspector, huh? Listen up, everyone!”
“Yes, Valken!”
“We take the bare minimum of rest and resume reconnaissance. Mana thickens at night; Ruiple’s situation will change when darkness falls.”
“Yes, Valken!”
It didn’t matter if they failed to capture even one monster.
After all, Ezekiel’s performance would also be 0, and once back to the Imperial Capital, rumors would spread that the inspector of the Magic Tower tossed aside his duties to drink.
And at that moment…
“I sensed mana!”
Naturally, Valken felt it too. Without a moment’s pause, he dashed towards the source.
“Is everyone keeping up?”
“Yes!”
Moments later, joy appeared on Valken’s face.
Kruuuu!
In the distance, a low-level demonic beast resembling a jackal was spotted.
Under normal circumstances, he’d sigh at such a low-level opponent not even being worth facing, but given Ruiple’s situation, that single beast was quite a precious catch.
“We must take it down!”
“Yes!”
Valken’s sword began to gather energy.
A moment later, the energy surged forward like a raging torrent aimed at the low-level beast.
Gu-gu-gu-gu!
‘…In this bet, we must emerge victorious!’
Behind the helm, Valken grinned widely.
Deep within the residence.
Hooook—
The sound of liquor sliding down a throat was the only thing present here.
Tirbi quietly looked at the clock on the wall.
Two hours had already passed.
She looked at the inspector of the Magic Tower. For a whole two hours, Ezekiel had merely emptied his wine glass.
—Only for you.
…Was that statement merely a confession?
Tirbi recalled Ezekiel’s gaze from two hours ago.
Those eyes seemed to pierce through her very soul, and it made her unconsciously think her true identity had been blown.
“…”
In an attempt to calm her nerves, she unnecessarily sipped from her ice glass.
Indeed, there was nothing to worry about.
The absurdly materialistic inspector had merely recklessly expressed his desires, and he still hadn’t a clue about Tirbi’s identity. Of course, he wouldn’t.
The camouflage of a high-ranking fiend is more exquisite than one might expect. That’s the secret that allows fiends to slyly infiltrate the Mortal Realm.
Just then, Ezekiel shook an empty bottle.
“Looks like we’re out of alcohol.”
“Oh, yes! I’ll get some more right away!”
While fetching the drink, Tirbi nonchalantly asked.
“Inspector, is there anything else you desire?”
Whether it be body, wealth, or prestige, she was rather hoping Ezekiel would spill his guts. The faster she handled it, the better it would be for her.
“No, thanks.”
But Ezekiel just drank the liquor he received. No conversation took place between the two, and time flowed steadily and silently.
He seemed to have an enormous tolerance for liquor.
Even after several bottles, he showed no signs of intoxication.
‘…Should I have mixed in some sleeping pills?’
If she’d known he’d drink so naively, she would have mixed some sleep-inducing drugs in from the start. But what could she do now? It felt too late to make that move.
Tic. Tic. Tic.
Tic. Tic. Tic.
In the silent residence, the sounds of the clock’s second hand felt deafening.
Ezekiel only emptied his glass at even intervals.
Tirbi felt like she was sitting on needles.
She cautiously broke the silence.
“You really like drinking, huh? I should have prepared some snacks too. I’ll go get some right now!”
“Sit down.”
“…Huh? Oh, yes!”
Feeling an unexplainable overwhelming presence, Tirbi sat back down.
Thinking about it, it was strange. A high-ranking fiend like her was obeying the orders of a mere human.
…Perhaps she had grown too accustomed to this role.
Since she was pretending to be a lowly rogue, it was only natural to cater to the whims of the Magic Tower inspector. It was necessary for the greater good, wasn’t it?
Tirbi reaffirmed this thought and moved on.
Tic. Tic. Tic.
Tic. Tic. Tic.
The seconds ticked endlessly.
The oppressive silence choked her.
Finally, Tirbi conjured up a clever plan.
She subtly wiggled the fingers hidden beneath her.
Exactly 10 seconds later, the outside erupted with commotion.
—Monster, monsters!
—There’s a fiend too!
Like wildfire spreading, the chaos grew immense in the blink of an eye.
Bang! Something crashed to the ground.
—There are too many of them!
—Tirbi! Where are you, Tirbi!
In a state now turned to pandemonium due to the arrival of the fiends, Tirbi seemed to seize her opportunity and sprang into action.
“This can’t be! It seems like a fiend has appeared! I have to go out and handle this—!”
But…
“I have to… handle… hmm?”
The door wouldn’t budge.
It felt as if the entire door had become as solid as a wall. Even putting her strength into it didn’t yield any movement, and she was taken aback.
With a glimmer of hope, she glanced back.
Hooook—
“…”
Ezekiel was still just pouring wine, showing his back to Tirbi. Feeling an unexplainable discomfort, she wanted to get out of there quickly, but the situation within was bizarre.
Tirbi pushed against the door repeatedly.
“Why… why… isn’t it opening! It’s urgent!”
Finally, when she kicked the door with her foot, she could understand.
It wasn’t stuck. The door was frozen.
Sssssss—
At that moment, the entire interior began to acquire a white hue. It looked as if the building had been built of ice from the start. The craftsmanship was astonishing.
‘…Ice?’
Someone controlling the ice in here.
It could only be the inspector of the Magic Tower, Ezekiel.
“…!”
Tirbi quickly pressed her back against the door. She made her voice as calm as possible.
“Inspector, is this to protect me?”
“Who knows.”
“I’m grateful, but I need to go outside. I’m a rogue who mentioned assistance, and so I should save at least one person. That’s my mission.”
“…You’re telling an interesting story. Perfect for snacks.”
Hooook—
Ezekiel emptied his glass.
And at that moment, the ice beneath Tirbi started to freeze too. Tirbi flashed a charming smile.
“Inspector, why are you really doing this? What do you want?”
No answer returned.
Could he have figured out Tirbi’s true nature?
Even if he did, it wouldn’t be a huge problem.
However, what truly unsettled Tirbi was Ezekiel’s strength. She didn’t feel she could win even if she revealed her true self now.
“Tirbi, who’s your master?”
“I’m just a wandering rogue, I have no master…”
“How are the higher-ups in the Demon Realm these days?”
“…Huh?”
Crack—!
The residence froze over once again.
“I-I don’t know anything! What’s this about!”
A massive icicle aimed at Tirbi’s chin, and the creeping frost seized her ankle.
“Stop! The fiends are out there! I must go save the residents—!”
The moment she screamed.
All the ice vanished in an instant.
Struggling to free her right foot, she inadvertently hit her chin with her own knee.
Smack!
Gack…!
Ouch.
“Ow…!”
Rubbing her painfully sore chin, she thought; was that merely a trial? I have to get outside…!
Just as she was about to kick the door down…
Thud—!
An ice shard was tossed near her feet.
A perfectly smooth edge; it was an ice mirror.
“…”
Tirbi unconsciously swallowed hard.
In the mirror, her eyes already glowed with violet. Her body reacted first due to the threat she felt.
“…When did you know?”
Now hiding her identity was no longer possible.
As Tirbi quietly drew power into the grip of her great sword…
“From the very beginning.”
Ezekiel replied curtly.
“Tirbi.”
Thud—
The man finally placed his glass down on the table.
“I’ve expressed what I want.”
He slowly rose from his seat.
“I want your life.”
He still turned his back to her.
“No need to prepare anything. I’ll take care of it myself.”
The man’s breath exhaled, a white mist rising.
As if he were a frost dragon awakened from a cave.
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