However, none of them reached Jaekiel. Each strike he launched froze
without exception, and countless ice shards naturally formed in midair.
"Let's end this. I'm getting tired of holding back."
Jaekiel's terse remark.
Sssshh.
A surge of cold aura erupted around Jaekiel.
Even those unfamiliar with magic could vaguely feel its greatness. He was
already at a higher level than Recon.
Swoosh!
A large ice arrow tore through the air.
Bang!
"Oh, ugh!"
The arrow that pierced Recon's shoulder carried him all the way to the
distant wall and pinned him there. A crack formed in the wall near his body
with a bang.
Jaekiel tilted his head and fell into thought.
'A guy who didn't know magic at all just three days ago… '
Even if he was a dragonborn, Recon was just a novice who had only
recently started using magic.
But to have such power in just three days, if seasoned individuals were to
engage in soul transactions, they would gain power incomparable to this.
'The Imperial Tower has a long way to go. We need teachings that will
greatly elevate the level of our magicians.'
To achieve the conditions set by the Emperor, the Imperial Tower must rise
much higher than just standing out among humans. It must reach further
and higher.
The day would come when they had to face dragonborns, so more
systematic education was necessary.
Jaekiel was already thinking like an auditor.
'Time is short. As quickly as possible.'
Even Jaekiel's lifespan wasn't long.
…There was only one way. Very quickly, even faster.
Jaekiel gestured with his chin at the ice shards left in the air. They were the
frozen remnants of Recon's attacks.
"I preserved them as much as possible. Take them and use them as magical
materials. They will surely be helpful."
Not just an ordinary victory, but a profitable one.
For Jaekiel, a profitable victory was like this. It would contribute to the
magic studies of the human realm.
"…"
The surrounding area was still filled with silence.
A human, the auditor of the Imperial Tower, had faced a dragonborn.
Jaekiel had anticipated his victory from the beginning, but the onlookers
had not. Their wide-eyed faces were filled with undisguisable astonishment.
This time, Jaekiel gestured towards Recon.
"Someone should take care of him. It's unbecoming for a noble dragonborn
to be hanging around so conspicuously in the human realm."
Finally, one of the dragonborns stepped forward to assist. Recon was still
hanging from the wall.
The spectators, who had been watching, finally began to speak.
"This is… What on earth is this?"
"A human defeated a dragonborn…? Without a scratch?"
"Truly, the Princess has an excellent eye for talent!"
"And he even thought to preserve the dragonborn's magic. A true educator.
How remarkable…!"
A very noisy commotion ensued.
Of course, the 2nd Princess Hedera was equally surprised.
"…"
She had seen Jaekiel's abilities since she was young, so it wasn't hard for
her to anticipate his victory.
Hedera wasn't showing respect to Gromon and his group because she was
weak. If it came to a direct confrontation, she was confident she could win.
However.
'The Ascension Ceremony is a once-in-a-lifetime event. I must be fully
prepared.'
There was no second chance for the Ascension Ceremony, and if a
commotion arises, it would be most troublesome for Hedera.
Moreover, Gromon was a well-known elder among the dragonborns. It was
best to maintain good relations with him until the Ascension Ceremony was
over.
Therefore, she knew Jaekiel's victory was certain from the beginning.
However, what truly surprised her was…
His attitude as an auditor.
'He's shortening his own lifespan. There was no need for him to get
involved, but he put in his best effort.'
Prioritizing responsibility over his own lifespan.
In fact, even if he had explained that it was Solana who appointed him and
not Hedera, he wouldn't have been reprimanded. Yet, Jaekiel willingly
stepped up.
Probably for Hedera's sake.
Seeing him disregard his own life for her sake was unsettling. A mix of
gratitude and complicated emotions arose within her.
Just then, Jaekiel rubbed his forehead as if he were feeling dizzy. Hedera
couldn't ignore it any longer and quickly approached him.
"There was no need for you to step in. You don't look well; you should take
care of your health."
Perhaps it was because she wasn't good at expressing gratitude. Her
concern came out as a sharp remark.
Jaekiel rolled his eyes to look at Hedera.
"My health, you say?"
"Yes, your health."
"It's like pouring water into a bottomless pit. No matter what you do, my
health can't be restored. There's no choice but to do one more deed."
One more deed.
Those words struck a chord with Hedera.
'A deed for my happiness.'
Until his dying breath, disregarding his own health, he would do one more
deed for Hedera's happiness. That was how it sounded to her.
So, in the end.
Hedera made a big decision.
'I still don't know why he left or what happened during his absence, but… '
It was likely because of his limited lifespan.
If Jaekiel were to die, she might never hear his story. She couldn't just stand
by and watch his efforts for her.
"About the promise to give you a relic from the first floor."
Hedera took a deep breath and continued.
"Let's forget about that. Instead, I'll give you Sun Water."
"…Sun Water?"
"You must know about Sun Water, right? It's an elixir that makes any
being's physique supreme. So far, only the Emperor and the 1st Princess
have experienced it."
Jaekiel didn't ask because he didn't know.
"You're giving that to me?"
What Jaekiel had originally been promised was a relic from the first floor of
the vault. Now, the level of reward had increased to an incomparable
degree.
Even the relics on the highest third floor of the vault couldn't compare to
Sun Water. No existing item could compare to Sun Water.
Hedera cleared her throat a couple of times.
"…I mean, I'll suggest it to the Emperor first. I might be able to get at least
one drop. Even just one drop is incredible. Beyond imagination."
"Miss, are you serious about what you're saying?"
Jaekiel reacted without thinking.
Sun Water was that unbelievably precious.
More than half the continent's population didn't believe in the existence of
Sun Water. It was so precious that even during his days of toiling in the
imperial court, he couldn't dare to dream of it.
'I happen to be meeting the Emperor soon.'
He had said to meet once a month.
Even one drop could visibly improve his health. Of course, he regretted his
words immediately.
Unusually surprised, he had slipped into the title he used during his days as
a teacher in the distant past.
"…"
A silence passed between them.
"Did you call me Miss…?"
Hedera's expression turned blank for a moment.
Her cheeks flushed slightly and her mouth fumbled foolishly, but it was
fortunate she wore a mask.
She quickly looked around, but fortunately, no one else had heard their
conversation. This was also fortunate.
"…"
Hedera pulled her mask up almost to cover her eyes, adding a cough for
good measure.
"I'm giving you this reward because you did your best as an auditor. Don't
get the wrong idea… Anyway…"
Just as the awkward conversation resumed.
One of the dragonborns approached them. It was Gromon.
"I always thought you were just making excuses when you talked about
human potential. But it seems you've been nurturing a magician like this in
secret."
"I didn't raise him."
"Humility too? Truly the 2nd Princess."
Gromon turned his head to look at Jaekiel.
"You said you're an auditor of the Imperial Tower?"
Jaekiel hesitated for a moment.
Should he speak informally? Or formally?
…He wasn't used to speaking formally, but he should bear it. There were
many eyes watching.
"Yes."
"Thank you for the rare spectacle. Your affinity with spirits, your freezing
technique… All at an impressive level. It will also serve as great motivation
for Recon."
However, his words did not end with simple praise.
"But remember this. Recon, who knew nothing about magic, reached that
level in just three days. If someone as advanced as you were to engage in a
soul transaction, an even greater masterpiece would be born."
"Another talk about soul transactions? Stop it."
Hedera finally lost her patience and stepped forward.
"Gromon, even my patience has its limits."
"I admit that I made a crude suggestion. But such a rare gem is shining right
before my eyes… I couldn't help myself."
"Can I interpret this as you acknowledging human potential? Please refrain
from talking about soul transactions any further."
But.
Gromon firmly shook his head.
"Princess, that's not it."
The dragonborn calmly continued.
"I will write you the letter of recommendation as promised, since I've
confirmed human potential. However, this doesn't mean the Princess should
reject a soul transaction."
"…What did you say?"
"Don't you need the bonus points for the ancient incantation? You just saw
Recon with your own eyes. If the Princess were to make a transaction,
imagine how much higher you could reach."
Gromon snapped his fingers, and a stone tablet appeared in midair. Jaekiel
also examined it.
'An ancient incantation.'
An ancient incantation was literally an 'ancient' means of communication,
so it was hard to even call it a language. It was more like hieroglyphs left as
traces of magic.
It was a time before written characters existed, so they communicated by
leaving magical traces on walls.
In today's terms, it would be like the traces left by an ice spike or a
sawblade wind… Something like that. Of course, the power of ancient
magic was overwhelming.
Could this truly be called magic?
It felt more like traces left by a god's judgment.
"There was a very promising dragonborn at the last Ascension Ceremony.
You might have heard the name Cromu. But in the end, he failed, didn't
he?"
"…"
"It's because he couldn't master this ancient incantation. The Ascension
Ceremony is that fierce. Being close to perfect is not enough to beat
perfection."
Among countless competitors, only one becomes a dragon by passing the
Ascension Ceremony.
And there was only one reason to attempt it.
Despite all the hardships, the moment one becomes a dragon, they become
a transcendent being looking down on the entire continent. Hedera longed
for that.
Gromon placed the stone tablet on the ground.
"I'll leave the tablet here, so think it over. You have exactly one day from
now."
Gromon was about to leave immediately.
"Wait."
Jaekiel stopped him.
Jaekiel thought.
Hedera must solve the challenge of the ancient incantation to pass the
Ascension Ceremony.
But at the same time.
She must not resort to sorcery.
Finally, when Gromon turned to look at him.
Jaekiel made a decision internally.
"The Princess couldn't decode this tablet? That sounds ridiculous. She
probably wanted to humble herself."
Hedera's eyes widened.
Because Jaekiel's words were obviously false.
Unlike the situation where the Princess showed courtesy to the dragonborn
to avoid causing a commotion despite her high combat ability.
This tablet—Hedera truly hadn't decoded it yet.
Gromon's eyebrows twitched.
"…She already decoded it but pretended not to? To avoid embarrassing me?
Is that what the Auditor is saying?"
"Yes."
Hedera asked with her eyes what he was doing, but Jaekiel calmly ignored
her gaze.
Surely.
Had he already seen something on the tablet?
Something even Hedera hadn't seen yet. Already.
"Then can you show us right now? I need to see the Princess decoding the
tablet to believe it."
Jaekiel didn't answer Gromon's words.
Instead, he put a piece of Sun Grass in his mouth.
"Of course."
At the same time.
Hedera read something in the man's eyes.
Blue eyes she had seen years ago.
…They were definitely the eyes of her teacher.