"Auditor of the Imperial Tower! Have you arrived?"
It was Tether, the personal secretary of the 2nd Princess, Hedera.
Her small face was full of joy, and the tone of her greeting was very bright
as she approached.
"What brings you to the palace at this early hour?"
"Your name was Tether, right?"
"It's an honor that you remember! I couldn't properly thank you at the time
because things were so hectic!"
"So, you managed to avoid punishment well."
I quietly looked down at Tether.
With braided hair on both sides and round glasses, she looked like a rabbit
turned human. She seemed very well, even better than when I saw her
before.
Tether bowed her waist in greeting.
"I confessed my sins truthfully, and fortunately, it only resulted in a pay cut.
They're even replenishing the secretary staff. It's all thanks to you,
Auditor!"
"Really? That's good."
"You even moved the spirit stones to the second floor, didn't you? Thanks
to that, the first floor of the Royal Treasury is very spacious! As I
mentioned before, I will do anything for you!"
"…Well."
It was true that my actions benefited the imperial family and Tether, but
since I myself was the reason the spirits went out of control in the first
place, I didn't feel quite right about it.
How much good Tether could actually do was a secondary issue from the
beginning.
'I don't want to feel uncomfortable about immediate gains.'
Someone might criticize this as a privileged remark, but there was one more
reason.
'Sun Water.'
I was going to discuss Sun Water with the Emperor from now on.
It was different from anything in the Royal Treasury. Sun Water itself was
legendary, a liquid with such immense power that it was impossible to
describe.
No other reward could catch my eye.
At that moment, the door to the Emperor's Grand Hall opened.
I felt a sense of familiarity with the person coming out, and Tether's eyes
next to me widened as if they would pop out.
"2nd Princess…!"
"Lower your voice."
Hedera raised her index finger over her mask and looked at me. She seemed
quite tired.
"Auditor, you're going to see the Emperor, right?"
"Yes."
"…Alright. Make sure to report what you receive. If it's something
insignificant, I'll question it."
Hedera staggered away after speaking.
Anes had mentioned rumors that the 2nd Princess spent a week in the Grand
Hall. Seeing Hedera staggering away as if she were about to collapse, it
seemed to be true.
When Hedera disappeared from view.
Tether, who was blinking blankly, spoke.
"Seeing it in person is just astonishing. This confirms it! There were rumors
that the 2nd Princess becomes quite docile when she meets you,
Auditor…!"
"…The 2nd Princess?"
I asked back in surprise, and Tether nodded.
"I was wondering what I could do for you today, and I thought telling you
about the 2nd Princess might be a small reward! It's something that should
never be disclosed, but since it's about you, Auditor…"
If it was simply to reveal something personal about the 2nd Princess, I
would have stopped her, but since it was also related to me, I couldn't help
but be interested.
"The 2nd Princess was really scary. Just looking at her punishment records
shows that. She applied very strict standards to everyone, starting with
herself."
"Hmmm."
Perhaps it was because I had been her mentor for a long time in the distant
past. It was an unfamiliar story to me.
Hedera still seemed young and immature at times. It couldn't be helped yet.
"But it's different in front of you, Auditor. I don't know if I should say this,
but… she seems unusually affectionate and docile."
"Well, it must be because I'm competent."
"There are so many competent people on the continent, though?"
Tether immediately retorted.
"You must have something incredible, Auditor. I even thought this once,
you know? Maybe you are the 2nd Princess's spouse…!"
I quietly patted Tether's head.
"You have better intuition than I thought."
"That's quite a dangerous thought, right? A funny story… Huh? Yes?"
Leaving the dazed Tether behind, I entered the Grand Hall.
The Grand Hall, the Emperor's Audience Room.
"Jaekiel Hound, you've grown stronger."
The Emperor's first words.
Due to a body that couldn't be seen with the naked eye, it seemed as if a
robe was hanging in the air. I had already met him twice this month, who
was rare to see even once in a lifetime.
But his sudden words were quite unfamiliar.
"There's not much difference."
"That's not true. You've grown a lot stronger in the meantime."
I pondered for a moment at the unusual response.
'We've never talked about anything other than the completion of tasks.'
If you were to name the most mysterious being on the continent, it would
undoubtedly be the Emperor. Because neither his appearance nor his
intentions could be seen, no one knew what he looked like or what he was
thinking.
The small holy grail floating in the air swayed. It seemed as if the Emperor
was holding it and slowly shaking it.
"You cannot evaluate strength based solely on one's magical level. Who
you have around you, whose heart you have won… It all must be included."
"Well, who would be around me?"
"You've won more of the 2nd Princess's heart."
There was a sound of fingers tapping on the armrest.
"She, who didn't even celebrate her father's birthday, suggested preparing
Sun Water for you. Watching her do that for a whole week—it was just
amazing."
"Hmmm."
"The 3rd Princess has been smiling more. Your talent and potential cannot
be ignored. How long has it been since the incident caused by the letter? It's
already come to this."
The Emperor continued.
"Anyway, I have a proposal. There's a talented one in the imperial family…
There has been no match for her, which is troublesome. How about you
give it a try?"
"…"
The topic changed without any mention of Sun Water.
I quietly thought.
In the end, was that recognition just words again?
I couldn't fathom the Emperor's thoughts.
If he truly recognized my talent and potential, he could give me Sun Water
as Hedera suggested. If not that, at least an elixir.
There were a few speculations.
Either he still didn't like me, or he wanted me to grow while being pushed
to the limit by my terminal condition more than anyone else.
It wasn't something that could be concluded immediately.
I quietly shook my head.
"…I refuse."
"Refuse? Decide after hearing the reward."
Thunk!
A very large box fell at my feet. Due to the rebound from hitting the
ground, the lid opened, and it was filled with elixirs.
"Sun Water will be completed next month. Asking for something that
doesn't exist for a whole week—could anything be more troublesome?
Instead, I gathered all kinds of elixirs."
I was very interested in all kinds of elixirs due to my poor constitution. I
could tell their quality at a glance.
…These were all top-notch.
It was a result that clearly showed Hedera's efforts over the week. The
Emperor had never promised such a reward in the distant past.
"It's an elixir that makes even an old man as strong as a young one. With
this amount… At least until we discuss Sun Water again, you will survive."
"I will accept the proposal."
These were not ordinary elixirs.
They might not be as effective as Sun Water, but they were elixirs worthy of
being stored on the third floor of the Royal Treasury, so I had no reason to
refuse.
Yes, gaining this much was already more than expected.
"Jaekiel, my words are not over yet."
The floating holy grail swayed.
"That capable one also wants the elixirs very much. The method of the
match hasn't been decided yet, but I intend to give everything to the winner.
What do you think?"
"I don't care who it is."
With this many elixirs at stake, it didn't matter anymore.
Since it was beneficial to my body, I was confident enough to give it my all.
Even if the opponent was the Emperor.
The next day, at the entrance of the Imperial Palace.
"Oh… It's incredible!"
One of the soldiers couldn't hide his astonishment and shouted.
It was understandable. The procession of carts entering the palace was
endless, and they were filled with the corpses of monsters.
"Making a fuss over nothing…"
A woman positioned on the last cart muttered.
With an impression as white as an endless snowy field, a splendid black fur
decoration covered her shoulders. The number of decorations on her
uniform indicated her achievements.
The 3rd Princess, Solana, greeted the woman on the cart.
"Have you returned?"
"There is no time for greetings."
The wolf-like woman firmly interrupted Solana's words.
Who dares, who on earth?
Who could possibly respond so coldly to the 3rd Princess?
The answer was in the shouts of the soldiers lined up in rows. Soon, a
tremendous sound echoed.
──The 1st Princess of the empire has returned!
Goddess of War.
Or the Queen of All Weapons.
The 1st Princess, Ether.
The woman with all kinds of names put a thick cigar in her mouth.
"There is someone who dared to covet my elixirs, I hear."
Hoo.
A thick smoke was blown in front of the 3rd Princess's face.
"Who is it? Bring them to me immediately."