The soldiers’ lower bodies were already frozen.
A chill rising slowly from below, the energy that froze from their toes to just below their chins.
“Kyaahhh!”
A quite bizarre scream rang out sharply.
“Stop! Stop it! Stoooooop!”
Pop—!
In an instant, the space shimmered like a mirage, and a small-framed mage fell from mid-air.
Hair falling in two braids and round glasses; this must be what a rabbit would look like if it were born human.
The name of the female mage was Tether.
Ezekiel gazed at Tether, who had appeared out of nowhere.
‘Surprisingly, there’s more to her than all this commotion.’
There’s a saying; empty vessels make the most noise.
Like a small dog barking desperately, loud ones often had little ability. Yet, this girl was a rare exception.
Her actions seemed ridiculous and noisy, but she had substance.
Her prowess wasn’t ordinary. She had to be a high-ranking mage.
The small-framed mage shouted at Ezekiel.
“I-I will explain everything!”
However, perhaps due to her rashness, Tether began to freeze as well.
“Ugh, it’s cold! Please do something about this chill! I’m on your side! I’m definitely not an enemy!”
The imperial guards gazed at Tether with widened eyes. She waved her hands frantically.
“…That doesn’t mean I’ve betrayed the Imperial Family! I’m Tether! I’m still on the side of the Imperial Family!”
This time, Ezekiel stared silently at Tether.
Tether, with a face now turning to distress, shouted.
“Ah, I will explain everything! I will explain, so…!”
……
“…Yes. That’s how it is.”
Tether’s explanation was simple and clear.
She claimed to be the 2nd Princess’s secretary, and Ezekiel was undoubtedly a VIP designated by the Princess, hence the bickering should stop.
“Come on! Everyone, apologize to the Inspector!”
Tether pulled something from her pocket.
A gold coin marked with a black dragon, a token showing she was on a mission from Princess Hedera.
“…”
The soldiers finally lowered their heads one by one.
“Inspector, I’m sorry.”
“Our rudeness has gone too far.”
After confirming this, Tether turned and faced Ezekiel with a warm smile.
“Hem hem, I’m truly sorry.”
Tether politely bowed her head.
Though the motion was light, it carried a depth of courtesy, as if she had served a precious person for a long time.
“Once again, I introduce myself formally. I am Tether, Secretary to the 2nd Princess.”
“I am Ezekiel, Inspector of the Imperial Magic Tower.”
His short response was filled with overwhelming presence.
Tether clearly sensed it. The chill that was leisurely freezing the soldiers was definitely not ordinary.
Of course, there were many surprising aspects beyond that.
‘An Inspector at such a young age?’
They said a position like Inspector could only be achieved after significant contributions in academia and reaching a certain age. Yet, here was a remarkably young man at the top of the tower.
‘Either incredible ability or amazing connections.’
…Perhaps both?
Tether was convinced.
If she had been even slightly delayed, it would have been a disaster.
Her attitude naturally became more respectful.
“Keeping a VIP waiting is rude in itself, isn’t it? I shall guide you right away!”
“Before that.”
Ezekiel cut Tether off.
“It seems the soldiers here haven’t heard anything. Couldn’t you have delivered the message a bit faster?”
“…”
Cold sweat ran down Tether’s back.
This man’s sharp senses were not limited to magic. He was precisely digging into the essence of why this situation had arisen.
What should she do?
Should she just tell the truth?
No, that wouldn’t do.
If she did, it would certainly lead to a major incident!
“W-Well! You could think that!”
Tether forced calmness into her voice.
“It’s because we received the orders not long ago. I arrived here right after receiving the command from the 2nd Princess, so…”
“I see.”
Ezekiel surprisingly nodded, allowing Tether to feel somewhat relieved. Was this enough?
Though she felt guilty about lying, this should be acceptable. Yes, just this much…
However.
Tether soon realized her thoughts were incorrect.
“Therefore, the 2nd Princess is near this vicinity.”
“…”
She swallowed hard without realizing it.
‘Where exactly is the 2nd Princess right now?’
The speculation that the 2nd Princess was nearby was correct. She would likely be hovering around the imperial palace with her dragons.
What if the 2nd Princess happened to meet Ezekiel?
What if she talked about the task he entrusted to her?
…No way. That absolutely couldn’t happen.
“Ahahaha! Naturally, it’s not the direct order. She only left a brief letter for me to confirm!”
Lying was bad, but…
It seemed the lies were multiplying…
Ezekiel nodded, and for now, Tether felt relieved. She had to protect her own life first.
Taking a deep breath, Tether quickly continued.
“Then let’s move quickly. The sacred artifacts prepared for the Inspector should be seen immediately!”
A call for urgency disguised as enthusiasm.
There was no other choice. Tether needed to send Ezekiel away as quickly as possible. If this took too long, the Princess might show up late…
But then.
“T-Tether! Tether!”
A group came rushing toward them. The common point was their urgent search for Tether.
Tether quickly recognized the group.
“…The guardians of the treasury?”
They were the ones guarding inside the Imperial Report. Tether shouted, her eyes wide.
“What’s going on? Why have you left your posts?”
“Right now, that’s not the issue…!”
However, the expressions of the guardians were extremely urgent.
“Inside the treasury, the elemental stones have begun to rampage! Especially the fire elemental stone! It’s severe!”
“This is a serious problem. If a sacred artifact gets damaged…! We need to solve it immediately!”
“Uh…?”
The treasury held not just sacred artifacts but a collection of precious items of all kinds. Among them, elemental stones were terrifying objects that contained elemental spirits.
For them to rampage, this was something unprecedented.
Meanwhile.
Pale, Tether had a thought crossing her mind.
—Inspect the treasury countless times.
—The sacred artifacts must be delivered in the best condition.
…Huh?
If this goes wrong, it’s my responsibility!
“…Huh!”
Tether jumped up from her spot.
Among the orders the 2nd Princess gave, there was a note about properly inspecting the treasury as the inspector would be visiting soon.
This is bad. Really bad.
“Why…why now of all times?”
But Tether was fairly aggrieved by this part.
‘It was perfectly fine until last night!’
Tether was a heavy sleeper, but she always did her utmost in her responsibilities. She had checked the status of the treasury right up until falling asleep. Why now!
Why is it happening now!
“What in the world… what were the guardians doing!”
Frustrated, Tether shouted.
Of course, only the bewildered looks returned.
“We are, as stated, guardians. We know nothing of the principles, effects…of the sacred artifacts and elemental stones! That’s entirely your responsibility, Tether!”
One of the guardians began to argue point by point.
“Why are you still here? From what I heard, you should have already brought the VIP inside the treasury!”
“Hmm?”
Tether’s eyes widened.
“2nd Princess told the guardians that Tether would bring a VIP in by the morning, so be careful with the handover!”
“Hmm…?”
Princess, you are thorough in issuing orders to them, huh?
Well.
But if I say that…
“Are you perhaps still sleeping in?”
“Sleeping in…?”
“I’ve already confirmed the attendance log. There are indeed traces of time alteration. Have you been fooling around again?”
“…”
“Now we don’t know! It’s up to you to handle it, Tether!”
Now everyone was looking at Tether.
“…”
Tether hesitated, biting her lip.
“Wait, wait!”
She cautiously raised one hand.
“I understand. I know you’re all angry… but…”
Then, cautiously observing those around her, she continued.
“What’s the best move right now? Let’s calm down first, and we need to find a way to soothe these rampaging spirits—”
At the entrance of the Imperial Treasury.
It was already in chaos.
“What on earth should we do?”
“If the Princess finds out, it’ll be a disaster!”
The guardians and guards mixed together began to blurt out anxiously. Everyone was gripped by fear and confusion.
“First, how do we tackle the rampaging elemental stones? Is there no way? Ah, you said the fire elemental is rampaging! Then we can request help from the red tower…!”
“Hey, you!”
One of the guardians shouted angrily.
“This isn’t a joke! You can’t boast about problems arising at the Imperial Treasury! Never let anyone know!”
“But this is unprecedented. We don’t know how to cope, so we can’t find a solution among ourselves…!”
“No means no! It’s not only the fire element that’s rampaging. The fire elemental might be the most violent, but it’s not the only one!”
In the midst of endless uproar, Tether merely watched, not knowing how to untangle the tangled mess from one to another.
Amidst this chaos.
“Everyone, enough.”
With just that one sentence, everyone fell silent.
Ezekiel had finally spoken up.
“…”
“I apologize. We….”
Everyone cleared their throats, averting their gazes.
No matter how urgent the matter, causing a ruckus in front of a VIP was still undeniably rude.
Everyone expected to hear words about the state of the sacred artifacts or reminders about manners.
But soon after.
Ezekiel asked something unexpected.
“Guardians, you said the spirits are rampaging.”
“Yes? Ah, yes. They are rampaging…”
“Is the ice elemental included in this situation?”
“The ice elemental? If it’s the ice elemental…”
The guardian’s eyes grew wide.
“Oh? No, the ice elemental is as still as a mouse.”
Though they did their best to respond, they couldn’t understand why the inspector was asking something so unrelated.
Meanwhile, Ezekiel was contemplating something different.
The sudden rampage of the elemental spirits. He sensed a connection.
Suddenly, memories from the past surfaced.
Long ago, when facing elemental spirits.
—You, human! Just back off for now!
—It’s cold! I can’t endure it at all!
—Is this thing really a human?
—This chill is worse than the ice elemental Glacia…!
The responses he had seen from each spirit trembling in fear.
The ice elemental is calm, while the fire elemental is rampaging.
It’s certain.
“…”
…This rampage, no matter how he thought about it, he was the cause.
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