“Wh- wh- what?! Deciphering the Ancient Dragon Speech…?!”
Tether muttered in disbelief. Her eyes looked larger than glasses from shock.
Of course, she wasn’t the only one. The entire area was in chaos.
“Are you saying we’re going to activate the tablet inscribed with the Ancient Dragon Speech?”
“They said if it activates, we’d see a scenery we’d never get to witness again!”
“I’m dying to see it already!”
It was a major incident just having an elemental go wild, and now there were also the Princess and dragon warriors making an appearance.
Chaos upon chaos.
But it didn’t seem to settle down. Not only did they duel with the dragon warriors and win, but now they were about to activate the Ancient Tablet right here and show it off…
“Today’s entertainment seems endless, huh?”
“Must be luck! I’m so glad I came!”
With such stimulating sights following one after another, the people showed no signs of leaving. If anything, the crowd kept growing larger.
Meanwhile, Hedera asked Ezekiel.
“Inspector, what on earth are you thinking?”
The rare look of confusion was visible in the Princess’s eyes peeking over her mask.
“I still haven’t mastered the Ancient Dragon Speech. It’s a complex challenge that requires time to learn.”
“No need for slow progress. Let’s graduate today.”
Hedera’s eyes widened even more.
“…Are you serious right now?”
“What’s impossible for the Second Princess?”
With those words, Ezekiel sealed his lips, leaving Hedera feeling all the more bewildered.
Just then.
“Hey, Inspector, and Your Highness.”
A dragon warrior stepped forward boldly.
“Are you folks ready yet?”
It was Gromon, the stout dragon warrior with a white mustache.
“We’ve gathered too many people now to refuse. When will you proceed?”
“Let’s do it right now. However, we cannot easily reveal the Princess’s power. I’ll set up barriers so the interior remains hidden until just before activating the tablet.”
Ezekiel answered nonchalantly, but the dragon warrior scoffed.
“A barrier… A barrier…”
Apparently, he was convinced it would definitely fail simply upon witnessing the setting up of a barrier.
“Well, human mages can hardly maintain a barrier beyond three hours, can they? Shouldn’t be a problem. Just do the deciphering well.”
Gromon’s tone was blatantly dismissive.
“….”
And there was Hedera, desperately trying to hide her anxiety.
Huff—
Ezekiel exhaled smoked sunweed leisurely.
The deciphering of the tablet began.
Near the tablet, Hedera and Ezekiel stood.
“I haven’t set a time limit. Just relax and focus; try to give it your best shot.”
Hedera felt a dizziness that was almost overwhelming.
Time wasn’t the issue. Deciphering the Ancient Dragon Speech required abilities, not time.
“…What the heck are you thinking?”
She asked that same question again.
Still, she couldn’t understand Ezekiel’s intentions.
“Your Highness, I think you should focus here.”
Ezekiel traced a fine ice line over the tablet. It drew a line that precisely divided the tablet into five pieces.
“Inspector, what in the world are you saying…?”
“Well then, let’s start.”
Ssssss—!
Ezekiel created an ice cube barrier that enclosed only Hedera and the tablet. The interior and exterior were completely cut off, and the scenery outside became invisible.
Hedera hurriedly sent a telepathic message.
—Are you serious? Suddenly asking for this to be deciphered?
—It’s too late to back down now. Hurry.
“What a reckless thing to do…”
Hedera mumbled softly and began to channel her mana.
It was too late to change course. It was like trying to cling to a past that couldn’t be altered; Hedera wasn’t foolish enough to do that, so there was nothing left but to decipher.
For now, she’d use the same method she previously attempted.
Focusing her mind, she infused power into the tablet, remembering how it had responded to her before. She planned to navigate through this crisis using the same approach.
However.
Wait, did she infuse this much power back then…?
No, she needed to clear her thoughts first…
“Your Highness, are you really doing well?”
Just then, words from outside the barrier seeped in, piercing her ears like arrows.
Woosh—!
At that instant, the power she was pushing into the tablet scattered away.
There was even a rebound effect causing her power to push back, making her feel her hands tingle as she furrowed her brow.
“…Damn.”
Now that she thought about it.
This barrier didn’t block out sound at all.
Hedera quickly refocused.
No, she struggled to concentrate but failed.
“This narrow barrier has the Princess inside it?”
“I’m curious! I want to see her!”
“Maybe if I lean in close enough, I could hear something?”
Suddenly, Hedera felt a tightness in her chest.
The cube barrier wasn’t very spacious, merely serving as a screen. In reality, a large number of people were practically crowding right next to her.
Her head began to throb.
It had been a long time since she’d felt such intense tension.
Still, she tried her hardest to focus.
But.
“Isn’t it strange? It’s already been two hours…? ”
“…!”
Hedera was utterly shocked.
Two hours had passed already?
As Gromon mentioned, a human couldn’t maintain a mana-consuming barrier for a long time. Especially with this delicate barrier.
Moreover, Ezekiel, the spellcaster maintaining it, wasn’t in optimal condition. Naturally, she began to feel anxious.
Huff—!
But once again, she failed.
The tablet rejected Hedera’s power as if to say “don’t touch,” and her concentration started to wane. Breaths quickened out of urgency, and her confidence began to slip.
“How much longer do I have to wait?”
“Is this going to fail?”
“I’m starting to feel uneasy.”
Every single word felt like it was echoing right in her ears.
She had to concentrate, but focusing seemed impossible.
Her mana was slowly dissipating without being properly organized, and suddenly everything became a messy blur.
In a flash.
A voice began to whisper from deep inside her heart.
…Hedera, you know it very well, don’t you?
…You’re not talented enough to tackle the Ancient Dragon Speech, are you? You’ve tried before, and you already hit a wall and threw in the towel, right? You just kept avoiding it and putting it off. Now that you’re faced with it, how does it feel?
Every whispered word tormented Hedera, and the once steadfast expression of the Second Princess slowly began to crumble.
“Ugh….”
The Second Princess clasped her head.
Come to think of it.
Had Hedera ever obtained Dragon’s Blood through effort?
Had Hedera ever mastered Dragon Speech through effort?
No.
She simply accepted her own lack of talent and lived in obscurity, and suddenly one day it appeared out of nowhere.
In other words, if she didn’t have the talent bestowed upon her, Hedera had never achieved anything. She had no talent at all for the Ancient Dragon Speech.
“I can’t do it. I have no talent….”
Hedera clutched her head.
How much time had passed? She didn’t know.
Eventually, the voices echoing from outside began to dwindle.
From a hundred words to fifty, from fifty to ten, from ten to one…. Of course, Hedera hadn’t achieved anything yet.
Finally.
All sounds faded away.
“…”
Hedera swept her face with a feeling of despair.
….
….
Inside the barrier was absolute silence.
Suddenly, Hedera felt as if she had fallen into a desolate world. She even thought she wouldn’t want to go outside, stuck here forever.
It was fear and self-loathing.
She knew it. She shouldn’t engage in a Soul Trade, but she also recognized that her own efforts wouldn’t get her anywhere with deciphering the Ancient Dragon Speech.
“Aah.”
That sound, close to surrender, was the last thing she uttered.
There was no way she could decipher this.
From the very beginning, since she had no talent at all.
The Second Princess sent a telepathic message to Ezekiel.
—It’s a failure after all. I can’t do it.
—Please take your time. It’s possible.
—I can’t. It’s impossible….
Come to think of it, Ezekiel had given her no pressure.
Well, of course, this was his mess; it wasn’t Hedera’s fault. It was entirely Ezekiel for forcing her to decipher this out of nowhere. Hedera had no sin….
“Ugh….”
It felt truly like she was at the executioner’s block.
She feared how people would react when they found out about the Second Princess’s failure.
—Currently, how many people are gathered?
—No one’s here. You can relax.
…No one?
Indeed, it felt like quite a while had passed.
Wait, how’s the barrier being maintained then?
—Break the barrier. The mana consumption must be enormous.
—I’ll break it when you finish deciphering.
“…No, I can’t.”
But Ezekiel would not budge.
….
In the silence, Hedera once again tried.
Her entire arm felt numb. It was hard even to move it.
….
Thud!
Her anger surged, and she slammed her fists against the tablet.
It felt like someone was choking her. It was just so frustrating.
….
And so more time passed.
—How much time has passed?
—By the last telepathic message, only ten minutes.
…Ten minutes?
—Time isn’t passing as quickly as you feel. Please try again with ease. You’ll definitely succeed.
….
In this quiet, Hedera tried once more.
She tried and tried again.
….
—How long has it been now?
—Five minutes; you’re doing too many telepathic messages.
…Am I really just feeling anxious?
Just as Hedera thought that, all of a sudden.
“…?”
Suddenly, she felt as if she understood the meaning of Ezekiel drawing the lines on the tablet. It was like a light bulb going off.
Stroke.
Spell.
Hierarchy.
Attribute.
Harmony.
—Inspector, I think I might be able to do this.
This time, there was no reply to her telepathic message.
Instead.
The barrier began to dissolve.
“…”
It was the moment Hedera absentmindedly turned her gaze away.
“…!”
Hedera’s eyes widened. Her mouth, hidden behind the mask, opened without her even realizing it.
The moon hung in the sky, bright and vivid, revealing it was night time.
‘Night? When did it become this late….’
She understood. Ezekiel had lied.
At the same time, Hedera felt another unsettling sensation.
People crowded around in such a way that it nearly swamped the area. Countless eyes were directed at her.
“Shhh….”
It was Ezekiel.
He placed his finger on his lips, signaling her to be quiet.
He looked like he might pass out any moment now, speckled with the remains of blood around his mouth, yet he had maintained the barrier while lying about the time.
And even now, he just turned to Hedera with a calm expression.
“What….”
…Hedera had seen such a scene before.
It was a familiar sight. She had certainly experienced something like it in the past.
Long ago, when Ezekiel had assigned her a task, and she hadn’t even touched it. It was just too difficult.
—Teacher… It’s too hard; I can’t do it…
—No, you can do this.
When she had to demonstrate in front of His Majesty without any progress whatsoever. Yes, this was eerily similar to that day.
Ezekiel turned to face the onlookers.
—Your Majesty, thank you for waiting so long.
“Thank you all for your patience.”
His voice was cracked, yet it resonated with joy.
—Once again, the Princess has achieved remarkable success. You may look forward to it.
“The Princess is finally ready. Better wake your neighbors, everyone should brace themselves.”
Times and spaces were different.
The people standing in front of the Princess were also entirely different.
However.
There was one man who believed in Hedera without hesitation.
That one thing remained the same as those years back.
Thump— Thump—
Suddenly, her heart began to pound loudly.
Hedera’s task. The outcome had always been success.
—Your Highness, surprise His Majesty, will you?
“Your Highness, astonish everyone.”
Years had passed, but Ezekiel’s back was still the same as ever.
Like a spot-the-difference game.
As the scene overlapped with a moment from her past.
Hedera’s heart no longer trembled.
—Right now.
“Right now.”
In this moment.
Thump— Thump—
Something that had been frozen until now began to melt away.
Rebirth, or perhaps birth.
Thump— Thump—
At last, the time that had been stagnant for Hedera started flowing again.
As always, or perhaps already,
And now.
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