"You're taking a vacation, but why do you look like that?"
Secretary Anes asked as if she couldn't understand.
"I'm busier on my days off."
"You say things I can't understand."
Jaekiel exhaled a long stream of Sun Grass smoke. Well, to Anes, he must
seem odd.
Since this match was to be conducted in secret, he had no choice but to take
a vacation from the Tower. Of course, there was no problem with having the
match or taking a vacation.
However, the content of today's match was the issue.
[ Steal the armband from the 1st Princess; I will be watching. ]
[ Come to Dominon Gorge. ]
Deciding the winner by stealing the armband was fine, but the opponent
was none other than the 1st Princess.
'Someone interested in elixirs. So that's what it meant.'
The 1st Princess of the Empire, Ether.
Madness.
When Jaekiel thought of the 1st Princess, this word came to mind first.
Ether had been obsessed with strength since childhood, almost to the point
of madness.
The Emperor had raised the 1st Princess with that purpose in mind from the
beginning. He recalled the story of her being bathed in the precious Sun
Water as an infant.
Of course, there was one more thing that bothered him.
'…Watching? The Emperor himself?'
It was rare for the Emperor to leave the Audience Room under any
circumstances. It was unusual for him to move, even if the 1st Princess was
participating in the match.
It was then that Anes spoke.
"Are you going somewhere far instead of staying in your quarters?"
"Probably to Dominon Gorge."
"Another joke. Never mind."
Anes sighed deeply and gathered the documents.
"What's wrong? I could go."
"Don't you know how thick the fog in Dominon Gorge is? It's thick with
miasma, and the terrain is rugged. The survival rate is so low that requests
don't even come out."
Jaekiel was also aware of that point.
Indeed, the process of obtaining the elixir would not be easy, he thought,
putting the Sun Grass in his mouth.
"Keep the Tower well, even in my absence."
"I would have come to the Tower even on my day off."
"Were you that loyal? I didn't know."
"That's not the reason."
Anes shook her head firmly, elegantly turning the cube in her hand as usual.
"The 1st Princess has returned to the capital. You never know. She might
pass by the Tower by chance…"
"Ah, you want to see her?"
"Yes, that's right. Goddess of War, Queen of All Weapons, the Strongest…
I'd like to see her appearance with my own eyes at least once."
Anes's gaze turned to the window.
She had the usual expressionless face, but it was subtly felt. Anes was
hoping the 1st Princess might wander near the Tower.
"Goddess of War, Queen of All Weapons, the Strongest… She has many
names."
Jaekiel asked as he exhaled Sun Grass smoke.
"Anes, what kind of person would propose to such a 1st Princess?"
"A madman. Completely mad."
Anes clicked her tongue and withdrew from the office.
Left alone, Jaekiel nodded quietly.
"…I've never been sane."
Why wasn't he sane? Why?
Inside the Imperial Palace.
'A match, but still, this is fortunate.'
Hedera thought after checking Jaekiel's report.
Sun Water wouldn't be ready until next month, so it couldn't be given, but
seeing the list of elixirs written down reassured her. They were all precious
things.
"Is there something good on your mind?"
Solana approached Hedera slyly.
Hedera shrugged nonchalantly.
"Of course not. I'm always busy with work."
"I see. Then you must be busy today as well. You'll probably spend time at
the Tower, right?"
"…Is that a question? It's obvious."
Hedera answered, intending to shake off Solana.
Saying she was busy today wasn't entirely a lie. With the match between
the 1st Princess and Jaekiel, Hedera planned to finish her preparations and
go watch.
Of course, it was a bit disappointing that the elixirs wouldn't be provided
directly. The match format was disappointing, but…
'His Majesty partially granted my request. It's never happened in my life
before.'
Hedera suddenly looked back on the past.
It was common for the Audience Room door not to open for most requests,
and even if there was a chance to talk, she was often told to do it herself.
…Yes, this alone was an incredible anomaly.
"Yes. Well, I wish you a shadowy rest, 2nd Princess."
"Not a shadowy rest, but peace… Wait a minute."
Hedera furrowed her brows.
"You, you just deliberately used the wrong word."
"Shadowy rest" meant a bad omen, like a dark shadow. It wasn't just a slip
of the tongue; the meanings of "shadowy rest" and "peace" were exactly
opposite.
Solana just smiled, as usual.
"Haha, could that be? You must be really busy today. Seeing you so
sensitive."
Only then did Hedera look at Solana again. Compared to usual, she seemed
unusually excited, even holding a lunch basket.
"Let me ask you one thing: why are you so excited?"
"Today, the Sun God's grace fills the world as usual. I have no reason not to
be excited."
Hedera furrowed her brows at the clichéd answer.
Hiding one's true feelings, she was doing the same.
"Then you'll be busy praying today. Right? I thought you were going on a
picnic. The 3rd Princess, who should never be idle."
"Don't worry. I'll be in the temple."
.
.
.
.
.
A few hours later.
At the entrance of Dominon Gorge.
"…"
Hedera and Solana ran into each other perfectly.
"Is this the Tower? I didn't know."
"Is this the Church? I didn't know."
The two princesses muttered simultaneously in disbelief.
Entering the gorge with the Emperor was strange.
In fact, saying it was strange was an understatement. The sensation of
walking with a transcendental being without form was so mysterious.
'There's no sound of footsteps.'
The Emperor's footsteps were still silent. Only the robe hanging in the air
swayed with elegance.
"The fog is very thick. Isn't it?"
"Yes."
Dominon Gorge.
Even if they didn't know the name Dominon, most people recognized it as
the Death Fog Gorge. The fog was so thick that it was hard to take a step.
The Emperor moved forward without hesitation, as if he could see
everything.
"Most were exiled here. Come to think of it, Jaekiel, you've never had the
chance to see this place because you were competent. It's a very interesting
place."
"Is that so?"
"Of course. I promised freedom to anyone who could escape this place, but
not one person succeeded."
…Why did he call Jaekiel to such a place?
'He even summoned me an hour early.'
Even though the match with the 1st Princess was an hour away, Emperor
Verd had summoned Jaekiel first.
Could he have other intentions? Were all those elixirs just bait?
As he thought so, the Emperor stopped walking.
Kraaaa!
Immediately, three monsters leaped through the fog.
At the same time, the air twisted into a vortex.
Kwadadadadak!
The bodies of the monsters twisted in a spiral and spewed blood like wrungout laundry.
Thud.
What fell to the ground was something ambiguous to be called a corpse. It
was closer to crumpled tissue.
'As expected, it's not magic.'
Jaekiel wanted to analyze the Emperor's ability.
At least it wasn't magic. The Emperor's identity and the source of his
power were still shrouded in mystery.
"Having someone's life in your hands and deciding their fate."
The Emperor spoke leisurely.
"For me, it's such an easy thing."
Suddenly, his gaze turned to Jaekiel's hand.
"Ah, is that fruit?"
In his hand was an out-of-place fruit basket. Jaekiel handed it over politely
instead of answering.
─Hmm, he likes fruit. It might help.
Solana's advice. He brought it just in case.
Crunch. Crunch.
Surprisingly, it worked. The sight of an apple being gradually eaten in midair was fascinating. Even more so that it was the Emperor.
"It's quite tasty."
"I brought it by chance, but I'm glad."
Actually, Solana had chosen it, but that was confidential.
Maybe because the Emperor liked the fruit, the atmosphere wasn't as bleak
as it was initially.
"There are no ears that can listen here, so let's continue our conversation.
For me, killing and saving someone is easy, but winning hearts is different."
Crunch. Crunch.
The apple that was in the air disappeared completely. Then, another apple
slipped out of the fruit basket.
"Jaekiel, how did you win the hearts of my daughters?"
"Hmm."
Jaekiel quietly thought.
'Could he have called me here just to ask that?'
Even the great Emperor was interested in his daughters?
No, he was confused about which side it was.
Did it mean he was uncomfortable with Jaekiel winning the hearts of the
princesses, or did he also want to win their hearts? That needed to be
figured out.
'If it's the former… '
Dominon Gorge could become Jaekiel's grave, so he skillfully redirected
the conversation to probe his intentions.
"It's nothing compared to Your Majesty. Looking back on the
conversations, there were many praises directed at you."
Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.
The apple disappeared faster. This was also a concern. Was he in a good
mood or uncomfortable?
"It's from my time as their teacher in the past."
─…
The apple stopped abruptly in mid-air.
…Understood. Eating quickly meant he was in a good mood.
Jaekiel quickly added.
"Recently, it's been the same. Their respect for you."
Crunch. Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.
Knowledge about the Emperor increased. Just as he thought that.
"Ah, there they are!"
"I know. I can see with my eyes."
A familiar voice pierced his ears. Looking up, he saw the precious women
breaking through the fog.
2nd Princess Hedera, 3rd Princess Solana. It was them.
"They are my daughters."
The Emperor's voice was much softer, perhaps because of what Jaekiel had
just said. Well, hearing stories of respect would make him more affectionate
towards his daughters.
However.
A problem arose immediately after.
"Auditor, how is your condition?"
"Teacher, have you eaten?"
It was right at the women's destination.
The women clung to Jaekiel as if the Emperor didn't exist. Both of them.
"Teacher, isn't the 1st Princess here yet? It's not good to stay in such a place
for long… I'm worried."
"What's this match for, anyway? You should just give it to him."
"…"
Even blatantly sniping at the Emperor, Jaekiel suddenly felt as if he were
standing barefoot on a bed of needles.
"…I'd like to be alone for a while before the match."
Jaekiel thought of a clever way and said it, but…
"Then I'll just pray beside you."
"Who are you? I'd rather be the guardian."
Jaekiel glanced to the side.
"…"
The apple stopped abruptly in mid-air.