“….”
I stared at Solana with a bewildered look.
My disciple, who was proudly positioned as the 3rd Princess of the Empire, was currently forcing the position of Inspector of the Magic Tower upon me as if it were a joke.
“Are you serious?”
“I’m serious.”
Her eyes and tone were certainly not joking.
The problem was, if this wasn’t a joke, then it was an even bigger deal.
“Surely, the 3rd Princess must know the significance of the Magic Tower?”
“Of course. I understand it very well.”
“This isn’t a professor position at the Academy; you want me as the Inspector of the Magic Tower?”
“Yes. Absolutely.”
It was safe to say that there was a huge difference between the Academy and the Magic Tower, both in terms of status and the level of skill involved.
It was only natural.
The Academy was like a cradle that polished raw talent gathered from all over the continent, while the Magic Tower was a place where only the finest gems that had completed refinement could set foot.
So much so that every year, the top students from the Academy would officially express that serving in the Magic Tower was their dream.
Solana tilted the teapot and refilled her cup.
“As you know, there are a total of six Magic Towers in the Empire.”
“The central Imperial Magic Tower and the five surrounding it.”
“Exactly. You are in charge of the Imperial Magic Tower among them.”
It’s easy if you think of a pentagon.
The Imperial Magic Tower is situated at the center, surrounded by the black, red, purple, green, and blue towers like the vertices of a pentagon.
It goes without saying that the authority of the Imperial Magic Tower is exceptionally high.
“The development of Scroll Techniques and the unusual Erosion Phenomenon… The authority of the Imperial Magic Tower isn’t what it used to be. Meanwhile, relationships between the towers are escalating from checks to full-blown conflicts.”
“So?”
“It’s something that needs to be resolved, and I need your strength. I believe you can restore the authority of the Imperial Magic Tower.”
Inspector of the Imperial Magic Tower.
Setting quarterly goals and achievements, schedules, staff numbers, department personnel… No, whatever comes to mind. An inspector has the power to intervene in almost anything that exists in the tower.
But on the flip side, being an inspector means you don’t have to do anything at all.
“Unfortunately, I don’t have that level of a sense of justice.”
There was a time when passion bubbled over in me.
Back when I thought that defeating demons and closing the gates to the Demon Realm would bring about an immense peace, and believed I could escape my terminal fate; those carefree childhood days.
Solana nodded and took a sip of her tea.
“Of course, you don’t have to do anything within the Imperial Magic Tower. It’s okay for an inspector to exist that way. I mean it.”
“Hmmm.”
I pondered for a moment. The Inspector of the Imperial Magic Tower.
For someone, it might be a lifelong wish or dream position.
But… I ultimately had to shake my head.
“There are too many problems to accept blindly.”
“Problems? What kind of problems?”
Unfortunately, Solana didn’t easily back down. Instead, upon hearing my answer, she wore a determined expression as if she was already resolved.
It seemed it wouldn’t be easy to brush it off and refuse, so I calmly organized my thoughts. What should I start with?
Right, first, the parachute situation.
“The missions that I took on in the past were all classified. There are no public performances. To others, it might just look like a parachute. Bad words would naturally spill towards the Imperial family.”
“No, there are achievements.”
Solana confidently responded.
“You personally eliminated criminals in the Feital region and caught fugitives who entered the Palace of Penance. That’s more than enough.”
“….”
…Was this her plan from the beginning?
She seemed to be dodging my question about the Palace of Penance, meaning she may have arranged everything from the start for this situation.
But fortunately, I still had ample reasons to refuse.
[ Letter of Appointment ]
[ Appointing Ezekiel Hound as the Inspector of the Magic Tower. ]
Right under the letter of appointment was additional information.
[ Salary is set at 300 gold coins for a one-month period. ]
300 gold coins. An absurdly large amount of money.
I puffed out a breath of Sunweed smoke and spoke.
“Solana, I think we need to look a little closer at the livelihood of commoners. One gold coin from the Empire can last a common family a whole month.”
According to the content of the letter of appointment, I’d be receiving enough gold coins to support a common family for about 25 years. How could this be?
“That’s a question I anticipated. However, I’m giving it from my own savings.”
“…Savings?”
“Yes. I have plenty of gold coins saved up. So it shouldn’t be a problem, right?”
“….”
If that’s the case, I had nothing to say.
That now left only one option.
Somewhat stiff but a methodical approach, a method that was effective if a bit childish, the method I had often used in the past…
–I think His Majesty the Emperor wouldn’t be pleased.
–S-so, never mind what I said just now!
Right, nothing compares to His Majesty the Emperor.
“I think His Majesty the Emperor will be displeased.”
“I don’t think so.”
Solana flipped over the letter of appointment, and the large square seal boldly sat there. Familiar. It was the mark of the royal seal.
“His Majesty the Emperor has also graciously granted permission.”
“….”
Now, there was no reason for me to refuse.
At this point, I became curious about why Solana was compelling me so urgently. So instead of rejecting, I decided to ask.
“Solana, why are you going this far?”
“I’m just repaying the favor I received from my teacher.”
“That’s the only reason? I don’t think so, so I’m asking.”
Then Solana fidgeted her lips.
I continued speaking to her.
“I’ll have to consider whether I’ll ever be interested in wealth and fame, but even if you help me, the methods are countless. There seems to be another reason for forcing this method.”
Solana briefly avoided my gaze.
Of course. I’ve kept an eye on her since she was young; I can’t be fooled by her. There must be another reason for her actions.
The repayment to her teacher, the circumstances between the Magic Towers… It feels like there’s a reason that Solana weighs far more heavily than those.
Solana sipped her tea for a moment and seemed to be carefully contemplating what to say, so I waited patiently.
Eventually, the words she released were,
“…I memorized every word of the letter.”
“Ah.”
Oh right, the letter.
I simultaneously felt a cold sweat running down my back.
What exactly had I written and sent? The only thing I remembered was that the conclusion was a proposal, but I couldn’t recall the precise sentences.
Meanwhile, Solana continued.
“Every word… felt the traces of deep agony.”
Well, I wrote it while drunk with alcohol and Sunweed.
Solana’s face slightly flushed as she continued.
“It was the first time I encountered such sentences in my life. On the surface, it might seem challenging to interpret, but the feelings came through. And on top of that, you included a drawing. I liked that.”
…Did I even include a drawing? That was one of my drinking hobbies.
It seems I drew something in a drunken haze, but what did I include?
Countless possibilities started popping up in my head. Fortunately, Solana didn’t seem to catch on.
“Teacher, you’re right. There is a reason for forcing this method. It’s the conclusion I reached after reading the letter countless times.”
“…I see.”
“First of all, I’d appreciate it if you could trust me. I ask this of you.”
“For the time being, I understand what you mean.”
I nodded.
The most intense emotion I felt at that moment was deep remorse for acting so atrociously toward Solana.
Though I couldn’t escape the shackles of my terminal fate, I factored in the fact that Solana must have delved into countless thoughts after reading my letter.
Wasn’t that how this situation came about?
Solana was already worrying about me, leaving the position of Inspector of the Magic Tower vacant and even planning to use her own savings. I felt a sudden wave of embarrassment.
‘…I’ve shown a terrible disgrace as a teacher.’
I felt like I had dragged Solana into my misfortune.
These days, with the Empire in dire straits, the atmosphere among the princesses regarding the approaching succession seemed suffocating. It felt like I was interfering in a life that was already overwhelming.
Still, thanks to this, I felt resolute.
They say it’s essential to tackle a fire at its early stages. Before this becomes a massive inferno, I thought it would be best to clarify everything and extinguish it now.
That would be the least I could do in terms of manners.
“Solana.”
“Yes?”
“That letter… for now, let’s put it on hold….”
Thud─
Solana placed her teacup on the table with a thud.
At the same time, I felt a chilling sense as if the entire world had frozen.
“…Oh, I’m sorry. Were you about to say something?”
“….”
For that brief moment, I definitely captured it. Her pupils narrowed dramatically, and the once-friendly holy energy suddenly shifted to a cold aura, flickering intensely.
“…It’s nothing.”
I could sense it.
Early evolution, my foot.
…The fire had already spread to a point where it could not be extinguished.
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