If the information they had obtained beforehand was correct, they should
have encountered monsters and demons without any break.
However, the Luiple they experienced was the exact opposite.
"How is it over there?"
"There's nothing. Not even a trace of demonic energy."
Valcon's expression slightly twisted upon hearing the report.
'Not even a low-level monster, let alone a demon.'
It was something he hadn't anticipated at all.
He had worried about the possibility of a stronger-than-expected demon
lurking around, but the reality of not even a low-level monster showing up
was unexpected.
"Here, another monster's corpse!"
"The cause of death?"
"There are sword marks that look human-made. It seems that woman Tirby
and her party handled it."
Valcon did not like Tirby.
He thought she was a ridiculous person aiming for entry into the Imperial
Knights by talking about chivalry, but she seemed to be quite practical,
contrary to his belief.
A knight wiped off sweat and asked.
"Valcon, we've scouted all around Luiple. What should we do now?"
"Hmm."
Number of kills: 0. In other words, no achievements.
It was something Valcon hadn't even thought of. In other words, Tirby's
established security was that impressive.
'Anyway, I need to have higher achievements than Jaekiel.'
If Luiple was a safe area, that would be good news in itself, but Valcon
hadn't taken the bet just for the safety of this place.
The 2nd Princess, Hedera, had to achieve perfection.
His liege, Hedera, needed to remain flawless. She had to pass the Ascension
Ceremony of the Celestial Realm with flying colors and become the pride
of the empire.
However.
Jaekiel was an existence that hindered that perfection.
Something that Valcon couldn't dare to understand kept creating cracks in
Hedera's mind. An obstacle. An impurity.
Thus, removing Jaekiel was Valcon's destiny.
'The moment I win this bet, that guy will be endlessly questioned about his
qualifications as an auditor. That's the start.'
But what was he doing right now?
"What is the Auditor doing now?"
"It seems he's just enjoying the festival."
"…Foolish man. Does he think Luiple is a place without eyes and ears? The
story will obviously spread."
Ridiculous story. Valcon clicked his tongue.
"To think such a guy is an auditor, everyone, listen up!"
"Yes, Valcon."
"We will take the minimum rest and then resume our patrol. Demonic
energy thickens at night; the situation in Luiple will change once darkness
falls."
"Yes, Valcon!"
It didn't matter if they couldn't catch a single one.
After all, Jaekiel's achievements would also be zero, and once they returned
to the Imperial Capital, stories of the Tower Auditor neglecting his duties to
drink would spread.
At that very moment.
"I sense demonic energy!"
Of course, Valcon felt it too. Without a moment to speak, he took large
strides and rushed towards the source.
"Is everyone keeping up?"
"Yes!"
And soon after, joy appeared on Valcon's face.
Grrr.
In the distance, there was a low-level monster in the shape of a wild dog.
Normally, he would have sighed, deeming it not worth dealing with a lowlevel monster, but considering the current situation in Luiple, that one
monster was a valuable achievement.
"We must take it down!"
"Yes!"
Sword energy began to gather on Valcon's sword.
Soon after, the sword energy shot out like a torrent toward the low-level
monster.
Rumble!
'…We will win this bet!'
Valcon grinned behind his helmet.
Deep inside the mansion, in the quarters.
Gulp.
The only sound here was that of liquor passing down the throat.
Tirby quietly looked at the clock on the wall.
Two hours had already passed.
She looked at the Auditor of the Magic Tower. For two whole hours, Jaekiel
had been emptying his glass continuously.
—I am only interested in you.
…Was that just a simple confession?
Tirby recalled Jaekiel's gaze from two hours ago.
A gaze that seemed to pierce through her soul, making her momentarily
think her identity had been discovered.
…
She drank from the ice glass to calm her nerves.
Right, there was nothing for her to worry about.
The Auditor was merely expressing his desires bluntly, and he hadn't even
slightly seen through Tirby's identity. That was certain.
The disguise techniques of a high-level demon were more refined than one
might think. That's exactly how demons could cleverly infiltrate the human
realm.
At that moment, Jaekiel shook the empty bottle.
"The liquor is all gone."
"Ah, yes! I'll bring more!"
As she fetched more liquor, Tirby asked tentatively.
"Auditor, is there anything else you want?"
Whether it was her body, money, or achievements, she hoped Jaekiel would
just spill his desires. It would be to her advantage to handle it quickly.
"No."
However, Jaekiel just drank the supplied liquor. There was no conversation
between them, and time continued to flow steadily.
He even seemed to have a strong tolerance.
No matter how many bottles he drank, he didn't even seem tipsy.
'…Should I have spiked his drink with a sleeping potion?'
If she had known he would drink so unguardedly, she would have spiked
his drink from the start. But now, it seemed too late.
Tick. Tick. Tick.
Tick. Tick. Tick.
In the quiet quarters, the ticking of the clock's second hand felt loud.
Jaekiel emptied his glass at regular intervals.
Tirby felt like she was sitting on pins and needles.
She very cautiously broke the silence.
"You really like drinking, don't you? I should have prepared some snacks
too. I'll go get some quickly!"
"Sit."
"…What? Ah, yes!"
Feeling an inexplicable pressure, Tirby sat back down.
It was strange if she thought about it. A high-level demon like her obeying
the orders of a mere human.
…It must be because she had become too accustomed to this role.
She was playing the role of a low-status wandering knight, so it was only
natural to humor the Auditor of the Magic Tower. It was necessary for the
greater good.
Tirby decided to just think of it that way and moved on.
Tick. Tick. Tick.
Tick. Tick. Tick.
The endlessly rotating second hand.
The suffocating silence.
Finally, Tirby came up with a plan.
She wiggled her fingers hidden below.
Exactly ten seconds later, it became noisy outside.
─A monster? A monster is here!
Like a wildfire, the commotion quickly grew.
There was even the sound of a table being overturned.
─There are too many of them!
─Tirby! Where is Tirby?!
With the appearance of demons turning the place into chaos, Tirby stood up
as if she had been waiting for this.
"This is terrible, it seems the demons have appeared! I need to go out and
deal with them right away–!"
However.
"Deal with… them… huh?"
The door did not open.
The entire door felt as solid as a wall. No matter how much strength she put
into it, it didn't budge, causing her to feel flustered.
With a feeling of uncertainty, she turned around.
Gulp.
…
Jaekiel still showed his back to Tirby, only emptying his glass. She wanted
to leave quickly due to an inexplicable sense of discomfort, but the state of
the quarters was strange.
Tirby put strength into the door several times.
"Why, why, why won't this open?! I'm in a hurry…!"
Finally, at the moment she kicked the door hard.
She realized.
The sensation of her foot slipping at the end of the impact.
It wasn't solidified. The door was frozen.
Ssshhhh.
At the same time, the entire interior of the quarters began to turn white. It
looked as if the building had been made of ice from the start. It was a very
high level of skill.
'…Ice?'
The one who could control ice here.
The Auditor of the Magic Tower, Jaekiel.
…!
Tirby hurriedly pressed her back against the door. She opened her lips,
trying to sound as calm as possible.
"Auditor, is this to protect me?"
"Who knows?"
"I appreciate the thought, but I must go outside. I call myself a wandering
knight, so I must save at least one person. That's my duty."
"…That's an interesting story. Good for a drinking conversation."
Gulp.
Jaekiel emptied his glass.
At the same time, the floor beneath Tirby's feet began to freeze. She
showed a gentle smile.
"Auditor, why are you doing this? What do you want?"
No answer came.
Could he have figured out Tirby's identity?
Honestly, it wouldn't be a big problem even if he did.
However, what truly bewildered Tirby was Jaekiel's strength. She couldn't
imagine winning even if she revealed her true form right now.
"Tirby, who is your superior?"
"I'm a wandering knight. I don't have a superior…"
"How are the current executives of the Demon Realm doing?"
"…What?"
Crack.
The quarters froze over even more.
"I-I don't know anything! Why are you doing this?!"
A huge icicle pointed at Tirby's chin, and the freezing from the ground had
already reached her ankles.
"P-Please stop! There are demons outside. I need to go out and save the
residents–!"
At the moment she shouted.
Only then did all the ice instantly disappear.
Tirby, who had been struggling to pull out her right foot, ended up hitting
her chin with her own knee.
Smack!
"Ugh…!"
It hurt.
"Oww…!"
Rubbing her very sore chin, she thought. Was he just testing me? I need to
get outside first…!
As she was about to kick open the door and go out.
Thunk.
An ice piece was thrown at Tirby's feet.
A cleanly polished surface, it was an ice mirror.
…
Tirby unconsciously swallowed dryly.
Her eyes reflected in the mirror were already violet. Her body had reacted
to the perceived threat.
"Since when did you know?"
Now, hiding her identity was impossible.
As Tirby quietly gripped her greatsword tightly.
"From the beginning."
Jaekiel answered briefly.
"Tirby."
Tap.
The man finally put the glass down on the table.
"I mentioned what I wanted."
He slowly stood up.
"I want your life."
He still had his back turned.
"There is no need to prepare anything. I'll take care of it myself."
The man's breath, a white mist, rose.
It was like a frost dragon awakening from a cave.