Originally, it was scheduled to visit with Hedera, but Jaekiel had arrived
alone.
'It seems the situation was quite severe.'
Hedera was fundamentally a master of word magic.
It was almost unheard of for her, who handled word magic, to lie. Not being
able to accompany him now meant the situation was very urgent.
The Royal Treasury, the treasury containing numerous holy relics.
It might seem to be within the palace, but it was located in a nearby
mountain. The vast magic contained in each relic required a specially
treated place.
"…It's been a while."
Jaekiel muttered as he chewed the Sun Grass.
Of course, the statement that it had been a while was only half true.
─Jaekiel, I know your abilities are outstanding.
─You can accomplish it even without the relics, right?
─It means I trust you that much.
─Yes. But at least, please take care of the troops.
'Come to think of it, I've never visited the interior.'
The scenery at the entrance was very familiar, but he had never set foot in
the Royal Treasury.
The weight of the Royal Treasury was that heavy. Even when he was the
leader of the secret organization, he could not enter this place, which
contained extraordinary things.
As he climbed the middle of the mountain, soldiers came into view.
There were quite a lot of them, indicating the importance of the place.
As he approached closer, two soldiers stepped forward.
"State your profession, name, and purpose."
"…"
He was momentarily dumbfounded.
'…Hedera, how urgent was it really?'
She wouldn't have prepared such a vicious joke, so she didn't even have the
time to give instructions to her subordinates.
Indeed, he became curious about the situation.
Anyway, he had no choice but to answer the soldier's question.
"I am Jaekiel, the Auditor of the Imperial Tower."
"Auditor…!"
"Why is the Auditor here?"
The expressions of the guards relaxed considerably.
The poor performance of the Imperial Tower had not yet been made public,
so the Auditor of the Imperial Tower still held a high status among the
people.
I pointed with my chin towards the entrance beyond.
"I am scheduled to visit the Royal Treasury."
"Visit?"
"Yes, I have an agreement with the 2nd Princess."
"Hmm…"
Was it shocking that he intended to enter the treasury, or was it shocking
that the 2nd Princess was mentioned? Probably both, as the soldiers began
to exchange glances.
Indeed, the treasury was such a strict place.
After a while, one soldier asked in a sharp tone.
"…The thing in your mouth, is it Sun Grass?"
"Yes, it's Sun Grass."
The concise answer made the soldiers' eyes widen.
"…Do you intend to prove your story with just words?"
Instead of answering, Jaekiel took out a golden pin.
The golden pin worn when accepting a yellow commission at the tower,
enough to prove his identity.
However, the soldiers' reactions were indifferent.
"Isn't this something anyone going on an expedition from the Tower can
wear? For an Auditor…"
"He looks too young. Considering the average age of an auditor, it doesn't
add up at all."
"Why does he possess Sun Grass?"
The soldiers' suspicious eyes sharpened, and they spoke one by one. Their
suspicion was quickly turning into certainty.
At that moment.
"Everyone, step back."
Someone appeared, instantly making the soldiers retreat. With a massive
build, he seemed to be the head guard.
He glared at Jaekiel with wide eyes.
Suddenly, old memories came to mind.
─J-J-J-Jaekiel, you've come!
─Oh my…! I'm always so sorry to see you…!
─It's not a holy relic, but please take this!
─Please accept it! It's a token of my sincerity!
If the relics of the treasury were stolen, he would retrieve them.
Despite handling various tasks perfectly, the Emperor would not bring out
the relics, so the Head Guard would try to appease Jaekiel by giving him
other things.
…The world had changed. It had changed so much.
Jaekiel clicked his tongue unconsciously.
The current Head Guard spoke.
"Recently, the movements in the demon world have been unusual, and the
value of the relics has skyrocketed absurdly. Naturally, more people have
been targeting them. Don't take it too personally."
"Don't take it personally, huh?"
"The Royal Treasury will always be here, and it will never be moved. How
about visiting again when you have more things to prove yourself?"
"No."
Jaekiel tilted his head slightly.
"It's not about my personal feelings."
It wasn't about his mood; it was about his time.
Jaekiel's one minute was never the same as 'others'.
Because his predetermined life was short, he hated wasting time extremely.
"…Time is the issue."
Wham!
With his answer, he released a wave of cold energy. The chilly air swept
around in a circle.
It wasn't strong, but its power was enough to be felt internally.
Surprise spread across the faces of the guards.
"…His magic is strong!"
"Is he really the Auditor?"
The regular soldiers quickly backed down.
"How dare you?!"
The Head Guard himself roared.
"In this sacred place, the Royal Treasury, how dare you release your magic
without fear? How dare you?!"
Jaekiel laughed out of disbelief.
"…You say the same things as the old guards."
Jaekiel thought. No other beings held as many endless possibilities as
humans, yet at the same time, none were as stereotypical as humans.
Every time he showed his abilities, it was like this.
Earning trust easily was never an option.
Fear, vigilance, suspicion. It always started like this.
Soon, the other guards were also on high alert.
"Not only possessing Sun Grass without permission but chewing it
fearlessly, now it seems he's hallucinating."
"Impersonating an Auditor and using the 2nd Princess's name? That's a
serious crime!"
The situation escalated quite a bit.
Guarding the Royal Treasury was very important, but the paradox was that
the key figures of the imperial family could not always stay near the
treasury.
This paradox caused the situation.
But at that moment.
"If this scoundrel is truly the Auditor of the Imperial Tower, isn't it an even
bigger problem? The Princess must have appointed him, but it seems her
judgment has deteriorated."
A soldier's remark.
Jaekiel stopped chewing the Sun Grass.
It wasn't just an insult to Jaekiel.
It was an insult to Solana, who appointed him.
"…You know that insulting the Princess is a serious crime."
His tone had become somewhat cold.
"Punishment. Accept it willingly."
No, it wasn't just his tone.
The surroundings actually started to be engulfed in cold air.
"Auh… I'm sleepy."
Tether, the secretary of the 2nd Princess Hedera, was often sleepy.
The 2nd Princess couldn't possibly handle all the piled-up work herself, so
most of the chores were Tether's responsibility. No wonder she was tired.
Tether stretched and recalled her memory.
─The dragonborns have come to the palace.
─It's about the Ascension Ceremony, so you must attend.
"The dragonborns coming here… It's really surprising."
The fact that the dragonborns from the celestial realm visited the palace
made her realize that the Ascension Ceremony was imminent.
Hedera hurried to meet the dragonborns but didn't forget to give Tether a
few instructions and reminders.
─The Auditor will visit the Royal Treasury.
─Welcome him with the utmost courtesy.
─And…
There were various things, but the conclusion was simple.
Welcome the Auditor of the Imperial Tower with the utmost courtesy and
provide him with a relic.
"It's amazing. Truly amazing. Living long enough, you see everything!"
Despite serving as Hedera's secretary for a long time, it was rare for the 2nd
Princess to order someone to be treated with such utmost respect. No, it was
the first time.
It was like hearing the news that the sun had risen at night. Almost that
level.
"What kind of person could it be?"
…Did he save the continent in a previous life?
Or did he play a significant role in the war against the demon world?
Or was he the Princess's secret lover?
If it wasn't that, it didn't make sense.
"Good grief."
Tether soon let out a hollow laugh. Even she thought her imagination was
ridiculous.
But there was nothing better than imagination to shake off drowsiness.
Tether intentionally indulged in absurd imaginations as she trudged towards
the Royal Treasury.
"Come to think of it…"
Unusually, the 2nd Princess had given several warnings.
─If I hear that the Auditor was displeased.
─Tether, you will be held responsible.
─I'll warn you once more, Tether, be sure to keep it in mind.
It was more threatening than usual. At that time, Tether could only bow her
head while sweating.
…It seemed she woke up a bit late, but it should be fine, right?
That was when Tether thought so.
"…"
The entrance to the Royal Treasury came into view.
"Huh?"
And the scene that met her eyes was quite shocking.
"Oh… Oh? Oh-oh-oh!"
A giant man with white hair down to his shoulders, and in front of him,
soldiers were half-frozen, trembling.
"…"
The cold that seemed to cut through one's skin just by looking.
Tether was momentarily frozen in place.
"Kyaa…"
Then she started moving towards the entrance again.
"Kyaaahhhhhhh!"
Soon, her steps turned into a sprint.