Under the sunlight streaming through the cracks in the window, the Third
Princess Solana was devoutly praying.
Suddenly, she burst into a smile with her eyes closed.
"Indeed… the Teacher is truly amazing…"
She had received incredible news.
After visiting the Black Tower's domain, he had achieved incredibly
challenging feats in a remarkably short time, making her wonder just how
boundless his potential could be.
Thus, her feeling of support became even more rewarding.
However, was there anything that could be done now? As the Imperial
Auditor, Jaekiel's name became more famous by the day, with more and
more people recognizing him.
'…He was originally my own teacher.'
A crane hidden among chickens inevitably stands out.
Especially since Jaekiel, a creature of phoenix caliber, had been cast into
the world, it was only natural for him to become famous.
'Well, everyone can't help but recognize his greatness.'
Jaekiel had even managed to obtain several drops of Sun Water, which was
impossible to acquire even a single drop of. Solana thought it was truly an
incredible achievement.
How much did the Emperor treasure the Sun Water?
There was a reason the Sun Water was distributed only to the First Princess
among the imperial daughters. The supply was limited, and it needed to be
used as efficiently as possible.
To think he could obtain such a miraculous thing so easily.
As expected, Solana's teacher was the best.
"…Hmm?"
At that moment, Solana sensed a presence.
Unlike an ordinary magician, there was a slightly sinister aura, yet it was
not harmful. When she turned her head, she saw a magician wearing a
conical hat.
It was the witch, the Lord of the Black Tower, Greta.
"What brings you here?"
"Wha—Princess!"
How shocking would it be for Greta to meet the Princess as soon as she
entered the Imperial Palace?
Greta was very surprised, but fortunately, Solana didn't hold it against her.
"I will greet you first. I am the Master of the Black Tower."
"Please, take it easy. Relax."
"…"
Greta looked awkward, as if unsure how to address the Princess, but Solana
offered a bright smile first.
"What brings you to the palace?"
"…Ah, I came to repay a kindness."
Greta said this and took off her conical hat, rummaging inside it.
It seemed like a pocket dimension, as potions and gold coins poured out.
Solana tilted her head slightly.
"Repaying a kindness? To whom?"
"Hmm?"
Greta immediately answered honestly.
"I came to repay the kindness of the Imperial Tower's Auditor."
It was a story about Jaekiel! Solana's eyes widened.
"The Auditor of the Imperial Tower is Jaekiel, right?"
"Yes, that's correct."
"Then why not go to the Imperial Tower?"
Once she realized it was about Jaekiel, her curiosity grew rapidly, and she
had many questions.
"I've already heard. I was told to come to the palace…"
"Ah, I see."
"The Auditor of the Imperial Tower provided immense help to the Black
Tower. He dealt with a problematic individual, allowing me to rise again as
the Master of the Black Tower."
"Ah, yes. I've heard about it."
"So I brought this with me…"
Greta began rummaging through her conical hat like a pocket.
Solana leaned forward to inspect what she was bringing out.
Should she interfere? Or not? Should she interfere? Or not?
It was originally a matter concerning the Black Tower and Jaekiel, so she
shouldn't interfere, but Solana couldn't just let it pass.
"Hmm, I don't think such a reward would be a good idea."
"…What? Is that so?"
"Of course. I know well about the Auditor."
Solana then began a lengthy lecture.
She started talking about what Jaekiel liked, what he disliked… what kind
of reward would make him happy.
"…"
Greta listened intently to the Princess's words, but she had no idea what
was happening.
"Aren't you taking notes? This is very important information."
"Ah, yes… I'll write it down immediately…"
The unexpected lecture continued for quite a while.
'Once this explanation is over, I should go see the Teacher.'
Solana thought to herself, feeling a growing desire to see the Teacher as she
talked about him.
In the palace's inner sanctum, the Second Princess Hedera was still
diligently engrossed in paperwork.
She was organizing what Jaekiel had accomplished and what he had
received.
It was a task being carried out in cooperation with the Ministry of
Documents.
"Let's see…"
It was necessary to meticulously record and verify the achievements and
items received.
Having decided to take care of Jaekiel, nothing must be overlooked.
Fortunately, Jaekiel had received quite a lot of good items this time.
Potions, Sun Water, gold coins… It couldn't get any better than this.
"Your Highness… You mustn't skip meals…"
Tether, who was in a corner of the office, muttered worriedly.
"Right now, a meal is not the issue."
Hedera replied firmly.
"The Auditor has put in so much effort; it would be unacceptable for any
part of his reward to be omitted. We need to firmly support him so that he
can feel encouraged."
"That is true, but…"
"First, you need to focus too. Have you completed the record of the gold
coins?"
"Ah, yes. Here…"
Thus, the all-nighter continued.
An hour passed.
Two hours.
Three hours…
"Haaah…"
Only after becoming exhausted to the point of collapse did she finish part of
the work, and Hedera finally lay down on the bed.
Tether also crawled away to leave.
Hedera stared blankly at the ceiling.
Her body was utterly exhausted, yet her mind remained wide awake. The
oddity layered over her made it hard to sleep.
'…I want to see him once.'
The cause was likely Jaekiel.
As she dealt with matters concerning Jaekiel, she naturally felt the desire to
see him.
Was he making good use of the rewards? Had he become happier than
before…?
All those things were completely on her mind.
Eventually, Hedera got out of bed and simply threw on an outer garment.
She intended to go see Jaekiel.
But at that moment.
Ding! Ding!
The communication crystal made a loud sound.
"…"
Hedera's brows instinctively narrowed. The caller was a very rare figure
within the Empire.
The Fourth Princess, Chein.
It was the caller reaching out via the crystal.
"Hmmm."
She had been wandering across the continent, so why was she contacting
her now of all times?
However, Hedera quickly positioned herself before the crystal.
Seeing that she was contacting her at this hour, Hedera simply thought it
might be something quite important.
Ding!
[The call from the sender has been accepted.]
[Voice connection with the sender is now established.]
[This is Chein, the Lord of the Celestial Tower. It's been a while since I've
heard the Second Princess's voice…]
"Why? What's going on?"
Hedera replied curtly.
If Hedera was a diligent person quietly doing her work, Chein was a serpent
desperately hiding her true intentions.
The Second Princess suddenly recalled the appearance of the Fourth
Princess.
'…A pure white silver serpent.'
With her ungraspable tongue, if a massive amount of silver coins were
melted down and shaped into a serpent, it would resemble the Fourth
Princess.
Whenever the Fourth Princess reached out first, there was always some
ulterior motive, so caution and suspicion were necessary.
[The moon hangs beautifully in the sky, so let's indulge in some gambling
and enjoy ourselves after a long time.]
"I'm not interested."
Now she was even suggesting gambling to the Second Princess; just as
Hedera was about to turn off the crystal immediately.
[Please hear me out until the end.]
Chein's sultry voice continued.
[While I mentioned gambling, I didn't mention gold coins; I was thinking
of offering something you desire greatly, like the fang of a serpent dragon.]
"…"
The fang of a serpent dragon?
Hedera's ears perked up.
It was well-known that using the fang of a serpent dragon could
significantly enhance poison resistance.
It would be very useful if given to the Auditor.
"…"
Hedera suddenly envisioned Jaekiel's face lighting up at receiving the fang.
What if he were to look straight at her and express his gratitude?
Ah, wouldn't that feel wonderful?
"Alright. What's the wager?"
[Let's play lightly with just a few cards.]
At the same time, the crystal projected a table for a card game.
Clusters of blue mana formed into cards, allowing them to play a card game
even while being far apart.
"Let's begin."
[It seems you like the fang of the serpent dragon. But remember, haste
makes waste…]
The card game began.
She had only intended to play lightly with a few gold coins.
"…?"
Before she realized it, she had lost a significant amount of gold coins.
When she came to her senses, she found herself on a losing streak.
[I'm starting to get tired. Let's call it a day.]
"Wait, hold on. Why are you just—"
[The gold coins I received will be used wisely. Thanks to that, I can buy
more happiness for my lord.]
"My lord? Who? Do you have a man now?"
[Connection has been terminated.]
"…"
The Second Princess stared blankly at the crystal's notification before her
expression twisted.
She had been deceived again.
Once again, she had been fooled and had lost gold coins.
"…Fourth Princess, that girl is really something!"
Hedera stormed out of the office in anger.
The only thing that could calm her down was Jaekiel.
The personal secretary of the Auditor of the Imperial Tower, Anes.
As usual, she was wandering around with her sharp bobbed hair flowing,
and today, her destination was near the First Princess's mansion.
She had come to find Jaekiel.
"I need to prepare for the next outing…"
Without intending to enter, she placed her hand on the door handle, but
surprisingly, the door opened weakly.
It hadn't been locked from the start.
"Ah."
Anes immediately tried to step back.
But.
Her feet wouldn't move.
Something unbelievable struck her ears.
'…A moan?'
There was no mistake. The sounds of a man and a woman's moans were
interwoven.
'Unification…? With the Auditor and the First Princess…?'
The shock of the situation was even greater.
"…!"
At the same time, she began to sense a presence from afar.
No doubt about it. It was the Second Princess.