“Sounds good. Give me one.”
In the end, the first words that Barton spat out were like that. First, it would be necessary to naturally seep in and gauge the atmosphere.
Soon, Ezekiel handed over a Sunweed, and Barton fiddled with it as if it were something he had never seen before.
“I thought it was a rumor, but it’s really Sunweed. No doubt, it’s the real deal.”
Barton didn’t ask for the Sunweed to savor it. He was simply curious if the one who was casually chewing on it was genuine.
Ezekiel puffed out some smoke and looked at Barton.
“There’s no reason to smoke fake stuff, right?”
“Sunweed is among the highest-grade drugs, how did you manage to bring it here? I’m getting curious about your smuggling secrets.”
“Well… I just boldly smoked it on my way here.”
“Ha, right. You wouldn’t easily spill your business secrets.”
Is that guy specialized in hiding something?
In any case, it was clear that the man across from Barton was also somewhat wary of him. If so, that relaxed appearance must be nothing but an act.
Meanwhile, Ezekiel asked Barton something quite unexpected.
“Do you know how to cook?”
Is he spinning his words in a hurry? He seems weaker than I thought?
“Why the sudden question?”
“There are ingredients and cooking tools on the second floor. Use them if you’re hungry.”
“Is the Palace of Penance your home?”
“At one time, it was pretty much that.”
Compared to Barton, he had only entered half a day earlier? It was absurd enough to make one smirk.
‘No, thinking about it, there’s no way a Sunweed addict could be normal.’
Vivid illusions are one of the most common symptoms experienced by Sunweed enthusiasts. It means that when they open their mouths, they often only spew nonsense.
From that, one could deduce that everything fell into place. That guy being overly relaxed and looking like he wasn’t in his right mind.
Meanwhile, Ezekiel pointed to the ceiling with his chin.
“It’s a rule of the Palace of Penance, so check it out.”
“Rules?”
Barton’s gaze turned to the ceiling.
[ To the Palace of Penance. ]
First, three people are staying in the Palace of Penance today.
Second, by tomorrow, the number must be adjusted to two.
Third, if the above conditions are not met, the Palace of Penance will be destroyed.
“Hmm, quite an interesting rule.”
Barton muttered that while glancing around.
One Sunweed addict and one woman whose body was tensed up from anxiety… a very short and simple conclusion was drawn. The strongest here was undoubtedly Barton himself.
‘I expected a strong opponent, but this isn’t bad!’
There’s definitely a thrill in toying with weaklings. Is this how a chef feels when he places ingredients on the cutting board? He was already excited about how to tease and plunder the pair.
Barton pulled out the dice he had carefully tucked away.
“If the rules are like that, there’s no need to drag this out. Let’s start right away, friends! I have a fun method to propose!”
“Fun?”
“Yeah! Someone has to die in this space, right? Let’s fairly decide who that is with dice. The one who rolls a higher number between you two will be spared.”
While saying that, Barton didn’t forget to raise an overwhelming amount of dark energy. The reason, of course, was to let them physically understand that he was vastly stronger than the two of them.
A moment of silence passed as the man and woman across exchanged glances several times. Thanks to that, Barton felt assured once again.
‘It’s definitely true. I am the strongest here.’
How fun would it be to watch them fight?
At last, the fool to pick up the dice was Ezekiel.
“Quite an unusual fellow has entered. I’ll go first.”
“Sure. Don’t feel pressured, just throw it comfortably.”
Barton murmured as he quietly cast dark magic on Ezekiel. It was the curse known as Weakness.
‘The value of this fraudulent die corresponds to the strength of the thrower.’
Weakened, Ezekiel would roll a low number, and Barton would instantly kill him. After that, he had a plan to have fun with the woman.
“Now, what number will come up? I’m really looking forward to it!”
Just as Barton licked his lower lip with his tongue.
Bang─!
Something that he couldn’t even sense struck him fiercely on the upper lip.
“Cough…!”
Barton quickly straightened his bent neck.
Confusion hit first, and pain followed a beat later. Feeling the bitter taste of blood, he moved his tongue only to find his mouth feeling incredibly empty. The recent blow had knocked all his front teeth out.
And then, a nonchalant voice echoed in his ear.
“What, is this how you throw it?”
Ezekiel.
He was smiling leisurely as he caught the die.
“You dare…! What are you doing right now…!”
“You still have your mouth intact. Perhaps I was too harsh.”
With those words, a massive chunk of ice exploded from Ezekiel’s palm, and numerous shards were shaped like dice and shot out.
Bang─! Bang─! Bang─!
At a speed that was nearly impossible for the naked eye to track.
All Barton could do was helplessly endure.
“Cough…! W-What…!”
Bang─! Bang─!
“Stop! Stop…! Just stop…!”
Unable to endure the unbearable pain, Barton soon knelt down and ultimately curled up on the ground.
…This pain, this humiliation, it was the first in his life.
“Magician? What on earth is this? I was clearly under the Weakness curse…!”
Barton was just curious.
The only question filling his mind was ‘Why?’
It’s a well-known fact that black mages have a very favorable matchup against magicians. To top it all off, he had a Weakness spell placed on him, yet how could such power emerge?
“You are… You are a magician! How could you… against me, a black mage…!”
“Matchup?”
Ezekiel blurted out, then just chuckled softly.
“That only matters when the skills are roughly equivalent, right?”
Wham─!
The last ice die shot through the top of Barton’s head. It was an overwhelmingly decisive victory.
Ezekiel’s gaze turned to Agnes beside him.
“Congratulations. Surviving in the Palace of Penance as a newcomer, impressive.”
“…”
However, Agnes couldn’t utter a single word.
Still expressionless, but her mind was in chaos, almost bursting. The magic expertise she had actually witnessed from Ezekiel was beyond her imagination. It was just a thought that was overwhelmingly bewildering.
Only after a while did Agnes look at Ezekiel.
“…What on earth are you?”
Unfortunately for her, she wouldn’t get a reply.
Thump thump─!
─Attention, inside the Palace of Penance; time has come!
Finally, the time arrived.
Shwaaaaa─!
A brilliant light exploded like a flash from within the space.
Beeeeeee─!
I felt a strong ringing in my ears and shook my head. It was the side effect of teleportation activated when the time in the Palace of Penance ended. Even though I’ve experienced it many times, it never fails to be unpleasant.
‘This place is… the reception room.’
Thanks to past experiences in the Imperial Palace, I was able to recognize it easily. Currently, I was standing in the empty reception room’s middle.
However, I was alone.
There was a chair across from me and indeed two teacups placed on the desk, yet I was all alone without anyone else around.
‘Where’s the 3rd Princess?’
Should I go out and find her directly? It should be pretty easy. If I find the thinnest woman in the Imperial Palace, that would be the 3rd Princess.
Just as I took out a new Sunweed and was about to chew it.
Bam─!
Click-clack─ click-clack─!
The reception room door opened, and a woman stepped in.
Her pure golden hair was of such high purity that it proved her nobility just by color, flowing in waves with every movement like a golden tide. And beneath it were her strikingly bright red eyes.
We had never met, yet oddly enough, we felt familiar.
But familiar and new at the same time.
What could it mean to have a woman who embodied both strangeness and familiarity? I was deep in thought when the golden woman sat across from me.
Up close, her body was incredibly curvaceous.
No matter where I looked on her body, I felt an urge of awkwardness. We naturally met face to face.
Hoo─
Without warning, she let out a long sigh.
But it wasn’t one of disgust; it was, without a doubt, a sigh of relief.
“I’m so glad you’re safe. When the Emperor forced the decision for the Palace of Penance, my heart sank. But rest assured, the time we talk will be completely safe.”
“…”
I silently stared at her.
So, the cognitive dissonance was strong.
“You…”
“That’s right. I’m Solana, the 3rd Princess of the Bight Empire.”
Hooouuuuu─.
I ended up blowing a puff of smoke directly in her face.
You’re Solana?
…You?
The one who had been emaciated?
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