The interior of the lodging fell silent for a while.
Everyone anxiously watched Hedera's reaction, but fortunately, she didn't
seem particularly upset—at least, outwardly.
"It's not that I don't trust you. It's just that the matter is very important, and
as the Tower Master, I feel I need to check in periodically."
Anes sighed inwardly.
It would have been easier to endure punishment instead.
Having her come by every hour, checking things in a concerned tone, was
becoming unbearable.
"Your Highness, there's no need for you to go through the trouble of
coming here. I'll report every hour."
"That's not necessary."
"It might become tiresome if you visit so frequently."
"I don't find it bothersome."
"It doesn't sit well with me that such an esteemed person is spending their
time here because we haven't earned your trust. Please allow it."
Anes bowed her head, and Hedera stared intently at the back of her head.
"…"
There was a long silence between them.
The atmosphere became strangely humid, stifling, and sticky… The other
magicians watched nervously.
Hedera was the first to break the silence.
"So, how long will it take to complete?"
"I expect at least a month."
"A month? That's too long."
Hedera had a reason for her impatience. The sooner results were achieved,
the sooner the Emperor could give something to Jaekiel.
However, others couldn't possibly know her reasoning. Anes responded
calmly.
"The Imperial Tower, which didn't even have a foundation, is struggling to
organize the advanced magic of the other towers. Normally, we wouldn't
even attempt this, but thanks to the Auditor's help, we can at least try."
"Hmm."
Hedera bit her lip slightly behind her mask.
"Once the Auditor arrives at the lodging, progress will be much faster.
Please wait until then."
In the end, the Second Princess reluctantly nodded.
"Fine, let me know if you need anything."
"The Auditor's presence should be sufficient."
"…That statement comes across a bit oddly."
All that was needed was the Auditor.
Whatever the intent behind the words, it was a subtle statement that only
the speaker fully understood.
"…"
Hedera didn't bother asking further, and Anes didn't bother explaining.
The atmosphere became strange again, but soon Hedera turned, indicating
she was leaving the lodging.
"You've all worked hard. I'll take my leave now."
"Your Highness, please be careful!"
The magicians all bowed in unison. It was only after the door closed
completely that everyone let out a sigh of relief.
"Oh dear, she has high expectations."
"It's an unusual boom. It's only natural."
It wasn't hard to understand. The Imperial Tower, which had been stuck in
place, finally had wings to soar.
Such a rare opportunity—it had to succeed.
"Alright, everyone, let's focus."
"Let's do this!"
It was then that Anes spoke.
"We absolutely cannot fail. The Auditor worked tirelessly for this record."
"That's right, that's right!"
"But if we can't even handle the tasks we've been given, he'll be really
disappointed in the Imperial Tower…"
"…"
"…And then he might even quit as auditor."
The room instantly grew cold.
"Is there a future for the Imperial Tower without the Auditor?"
"…There isn't."
That was the signal.
Everyone began focusing with all their might.
Meanwhile, at the Black Tower's social hall.
Jaekiel was with Seina.
No, it was more accurate to say Seina had attached herself to him, so "being
pestered" might be a better way to describe it.
Seina didn't seem like a bad person, but…
'Why won't she leave my side for even a moment?'
Jaekiel had been diligently wandering around the social hall, hoping to gain
something, but with Seina clinging to him constantly, it was becoming
troublesome.
Well, after hearing her out, he could understand her feelings.
"Ah, I'm talking too much because I'm excited. But I wanted to hear your
thoughts on the magic I presented from the Blue Tower. I worked really
hard on it…"
Her eyes sparkled.
"It's the first time I've encountered such a high-level ice magic user outside
of the Blue Tower. And now you're my master, right? I really want to hear
your thoughts. Please!"
The ice magic Seina had demonstrated?
Of course, Jaekiel remembered it and had even taken notes.
[ ←↑→↓↗↙→→↑ Manifest ]
Rotate the cold energy in the correct direction and manifest it—that's it.
'It would be worse to lie.'
Jaekiel decided to be honest.
"It wasn't quite what I expected."
"Oh?"
Seina's eyes sparkled even more.
"As expected, you noticed, Master?"
"Noticed what?"
"Well, it seemed that since it was clear the Imperial Tower would take the
top spot, everyone just presented throwaway spells. As expected, Master!"
No wonder the presentations had seemed underwhelming.
Everyone seemed to be going through the motions with mediocre magic,
likely because they were sure they couldn't rise to the top and decided to
just go through the motions.
"You can look forward to it. One day, I'll show you my full-power ice
magic. By the way, when will you tell me about your constitution, Master?"
"It's normal."
"Not just 'normal,' you need to tell me about everything, from your veins to
your energy pathways, so I can study them. Is it right to keep secrets
between master and disciple ice magicians?"
"Hmm."
Since mana flowed through a magician's energy pathways and veins,
revealing all of this information was practically the same as revealing
everything about oneself.
In simple terms, it was like a magician's manual.
Just knowing someone's energy pathways would allow one to guess their
weaknesses and strengths, so asking for it was considered a huge breach of
etiquette among magicians.
It was like asking someone to strip down to their underwear and show you
their naked body.
"Let's take it slow."
"I like to move things along quickly."
In truth, he couldn't give it even if he wanted to.
Jaekiel's constitution was incredibly complex, and it had been changing in
real-time since he had taken the elixirs.
"Could you give me all your energy pathways?"
"If necessary, of course. I'd even take off my clothes."
"…"
It seemed that Seina's passion for ice magic was even stronger than Jaekiel
had anticipated.
"Master, shall we head over there now?"
"I'm starting to get tired. I'm thinking of heading back."
"Oh? You're tired? Should I give you some Frost Essence?"
"…You talk about Frost Essence like it's a snack. No, thanks."
It was truly ridiculous. Frost Essence was an incredibly rare elixir, even
within the Blue Tower.
Meanwhile, Seina was seriously considering something.
"Ah, umm… Then I have nothing to offer you."
"I'm telling you, there's no need to do anything."
Even though Seina hadn't given it to him directly, he had already received
so much. The Frost Essence, and the Blue Tower's techniques, would be
hugely beneficial to the Imperial Tower.
"But as your disciple, I should do my best…"
"There's no need. Just focus on your training."
"…Master!"
But Seina looked genuinely moved.
"Your ice magic is amazing, and so is your character… I'm truly impressed.
If you ever need anything, just let me know. I'll do my best to help."
Something he needed.
Something he needed…
There was something.
"I'd like to get real-time information between the towers."
Yes, that was why he was wandering around the social hall.
He had managed to wrap up this exchange meeting well enough, but
exchanges like this typically had long intervals.
The dynamics between the towers, the rumors circulating among them,
crucial information… If he could get all of that in real-time, it would be
incredibly helpful in managing the Imperial Tower.
Seina put her finger to her chin.
"Hmm, there's a way, actually. There's an anonymous community where
only members of the towers can gather and share information."
"An anonymous community?"
"Yes. Everyone is anonymous there. You need a recommendation from a
member to join, but I can write that for you. The problem is…"
Seina stared at him intently.
Then she flashed a mischievous smile.
"Normally, members of the Imperial Tower are banned from joining, but
I'm sure you can handle that, right? Just don't get caught."
It sounded simple enough.
There was an anonymous community among the five towers, where crucial
information was exchanged, so the rule was that members of the Imperial
Tower, as overseers, were absolutely forbidden from joining.
He couldn't help but be surprised.
By Seina's kindness towards him, that is.
"…Are you sure it's okay to go this far for me?"
"Of course, it's fine!"
Seina raised her fist.
"Under the great Snow Ghost's will, we are one."
She even winked with one eye.
"Right?"
One hour later.
He was ready to infiltrate the anonymous community.
As he entered, blue mana projected a rectangular screen, with white letters
displayed on it.
[ Please choose a pseudonym. ]
"…So, it's not just anonymous."
The scale of this was bigger than Jaekiel had thought. It was a place where
people seriously engaged, even using pseudonyms.
"But…"
This was harder than he thought.
Choosing a name was harder than expected.
What should he choose? What would be good?
It didn't feel right to just pick something random, but it was risky to use
something that might reveal his identity. But he couldn't use something too
strange that no one would understand either.
'A name that draws just enough attention, but not too much… '
One idea did come to mind.
"…Verd?"
He murmured the name.
Verd the Formless.
The name of the Emperor.
He quickly shook his head.
He couldn't handle that. No way.
He really couldn't handle it…
Jaekiel quickly corrected himself.
"Let's go with 'Noss.'"
Noss. A completely ordinary name.
But that was when he felt something was off.
The notification window didn't react.
"…What's going on? I said Noss. Noss."
Then he realized the truth.
The notification window wasn't malfunctioning.
It had just already carried out the command and stopped.
"…?"
In front of Jaekiel's eyes.
The notification window displayed a shocking message.
[ Your pseudonym is Verd. ]
Huh?
Huh…?