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✦ Chapter 23 – The Second Princess, Hedera (6) ✦
The Magic Tower's training ground.
Currently, this place was truly a crucible of chaos.
"Eh, huh? Is that…?"
"Why on earth is she at the Imperial Magic Tower?"
Widro and Nox were dazed amidst the confusion of the mages. Welcoming the Second Princess was overwhelming enough, but now an unexpected figure had joined them.
"…There's no doubt. It's the Third Princess herself," Widro muttered in disbelief.
The Angel of the Empire, and the face of the Empire; the Third Princess, Solana herself, had taken a seat in the training ground.
"Phew─"
Nox pushed up his glasses and took a deep breath to compose himself. At the same time, he racked his brain. What reason could there possibly be for the Third Princess to visit this place?
First, it wouldn't do to leave such an esteemed guest alone. Nox, Widro, and Agnes approached the Third Princess.
Nox was the first to gather his courage, "Excuse me, Your Highness the Third Princess! I greet you! I greet you … .Ahem." He tried to greet her with a perfect baritone, but his extreme nervousness caused him to falter from the start. It was a complete blunder.
"It's an honor to meet you, Third Princess…"
Only then did Solana's sun-like eyes turn to Nox.
Nox, Widro, and Agnes steadied themselves with countless deep breaths. It was a natural reaction. After all, the Third Princess Solana was not only a princess but also renowned as the highest-ranking Saintess.
The religious order that worshipped the Sun God, led by the Saint in the Empire.
The reputation of their heresy inquisitors was unparalleled. How famous were the stories of their merciless purification of anything impure? It was said that not even a speck of dust remained after purification.
Could there be something impure in the Imperial Magic Tower?
…No, they hadn't committed any corruption, at least.
"As it's not common for such an esteemed person to visit the Magic Tower, please forgive our clumsy reception. May I ask the purpose of your visit, Third Princess?"
However, there was no response, to their embarrassment.
"Hey, is everyone alright? Nobody frozen solid?"
Just then, Ezekiel appeared in the training ground, and Solana's eyes turned in his direction.
The only problem was that her gaze showed no signs of wavering.
"........"
Simultaneously, the bodies of the three Magic Tower executives were covered in cold sweat.
Naturally, the Imperial Magic Tower was a place that encompassed both advantages and disadvantages. Although the disadvantages overwhelmingly outweighed the advantages these days, there were still some positive aspects.
In other words, while there were things they could confidently show Solana, there were also things that absolutely must not be shown.
…Things that must never be shown?
The gazes of all three turned to the same place at once.
Towards Ezekiel, the new Inspector.
'Anyone but that Inspector…!'
'This could be disastrous.'
'Should have stuck with the Imperial administrator position.'
In an instant, the three formed a human barrier. After blocking Solana's view of Ezekiel, they desperately began to blurt out anything that came to mind.
"There are quite a few sights to see in this Imperial Magic Tower. If you would graciously allow us, we'd be honored to guide you on this occasion."
"This old man has something to show you…"
"The view from the upper floors is beautiful. As the training ground is noisy, I think it would be good to change locations."
Everyone was exhausting themselves just by addressing the Third Princess. On the day an unruly Inspector took office, no less than two princesses visiting this place — how could this be happening?
It was almost like the probability of being struck by lightning twice in a row.
But.
The next moment, something unexpected happened.
"......."
As Solana quietly raised one hand slightly, the words of the three executives stopped simultaneously, as if on cue.
Everyone was on tenterhooks. They had no idea what Solana was about to say.
What if she said something like 'I'd like to take a closer look at that Inspector─'? Just imagining that future made their hearts feel like they might stop beating.
However, Solana simply gave a radiant smile.
Just as the three began to feel hopeful,
"Would you mind stepping aside? I'd like to see, but you're blocking my view."
"…Pardon?"
There exists such pressure in this world.
The kind of pressure that's impossible to resist because the other person's smile is too bright, and their request is too gentle.
"......…"
The three stepped aside with a sense of resignation.
They desperately hoped it wasn't so, but Solana's gaze was fixed solely on Ezekiel. Widro and Nox hurriedly created a transparent mana barrier to communicate privately among themselves.
It was a magic called 'Telepathy'.
— What do we do now?
— It seems we're already doomed. Let's just accept it.
As they communicated via Telepathy,
"Hehe…"
Suddenly, Solana, who had been staring at Ezekiel, burst into laughter while covering her mouth. It was an incredibly bright smile, completely contrasting with the maturity of a Saintess, more like that of a young girl.
"......."
The executives felt chills run down their spines. They even felt fear.
Solana's gaze fixed on Ezekiel.
Solana, not even blinking.
Was Solana's pleased smile truly one of pleasure? It was impossible to tell. Could it be the satisfaction of a Saintess who had found something to purify…?
At some point, Agnes asked via Telepathy.
— By the way, what's the next item on the agenda?
— We were planning to demonstrate the training method that abolishes the Second Princess's summoning.
— …Who?
— …Who do you think?
"Ah…"
Finally, Agnes staggered, holding her forehead.
Why did I submit my resignation to the imperial court? What was I thinking…?
~~••~~••~~
The Imperial Magic Tower's training ground.
In this place where frost still clung to the walls and floor, I stroked my chin while carefully examining the clues scattered about.
'So this is the extent of it.'
To cut to the chase, the mages' level was below expectations.
The old me wouldn't have cared about other mages' achievements, but now I was officially an Inspector after all.
As I was organizing a few thoughts in my head,
"Inspector."
Agnes approached me with somewhat hurried steps.
As always, she was frantically turning a cube in one hand. It was spinning at several times its usual speed.
Snap─!
I froze the cube first.
"Inspector, is that what you're calling me now?"
"…Why did you freeze it? It's a silent cube."
She touched the frozen cube with an incredulous look.
"I told you, the sound isn't the problem. It's distracting."
"Ah, yes. Anyway, the cube isn't important right now. The real issue is that there's something else far more distracting."
Agnes began to explain to me calmly, her face expressionless.
"Two princesses have visited this place simultaneously, and now you must present how you'll change the Magic Tower in front of them. Don't you think this is far more unsettling?"
"Not particularly."
"What do you mean 'not particularly'? This is serious."
Agnes stared at me intently, her face still expressionless.
"Inspector, I have a question."
I nodded. It meant she could ask anything.
"Why did you make the Magic Tower mages duel?"
"We need to assess their level before we can supplement their training."
"That's right. Thanks to that, we've blatantly violated the Second Princess's principles. But you didn't even watch the duels, going out to the corridor instead. Isn't this meaningless?"
"Why is it a problem that I stepped out?"
"The mages suffered for nothing, we've already broken the Second Princess's principles, and we have nothing proper to present while two princesses are watching…. What do we do now?"
Although Agnes's face remained expressionless, her voice clearly conveyed her concern for the Imperial Magic Tower's survival. She, who could pride herself on being several times calmer than others, was in turmoil. In other words, it meant that the current situation of the Imperial Magic Tower was that dire.
I might have been concerned like her too.
If, that is, I were a terrible mage.
But the one standing here now was none other than Ezekiel.
That is me.
"I can tell."
Agnes's brow furrowed ever so slightly.
"Even though I stepped out, I can tell plenty."
"What on earth can you tell…?"
But Agnes couldn't finish her sentence.
Swish swish swish─
I drew up the cold in my body. It was a spell that required five strokes, but having done it countless times, the manifestation was almost instantaneous.
"Agnes, basically, ice talks a lot."
"…Pardon?"
"It always tells you what it's been through."
Simultaneously, all the colors in my vision inverted.
I slowly re-examined the ice.
On the blackened ice, traces of mana glowed in fluorescent colors. Observing this was equivalent to observing the duels. I could sufficiently infer how each spell had been cast.
Psychometry.
The paranormal ability to read all memories related to an object by touching it — I was achieving this through pure magical ability.
'As expected, below par.'
Of course, even upon re-examination, my opinion didn't change.
To think this was the result despite driving the mages into a terror of freezing – if I had to describe the magic performed here in one word, it would be simply 'crude'.
Of course, the general public would give a standing ovation even for this level of magic, but wasn't the goal of the Imperial Magic Tower to stand at the pinnacle? If so, this was far from enough.
"Gather."
At that single word, all the ice crystals coalesced above my palm.
Crack crack crack─!
They rubbed against each other, shaving and merging, quickly forming a perfect spherical crystal ball. Even the interior was transparent.
I closed my eyes and absorbed all its traces.
One.
Two.
Three.
It didn't take long to organize my thoughts.
When I opened my eyes, Agnes was staring at me with confused eyes. I suddenly asked her,
"Is there anyone else we should call?"
Crunch, I took out a sunweed and chewed it.
"It's a shame to show this only to those gathered here."
~~••~~••~~
Finally, the time for the presentation arrived.
Unlike usual, the Imperial Magic Tower's training ground was filled with an unprecedented tension.
The cause was, of course, the two noble guests. The Second Princess Hedera and Third Princess Solana were watching the situation with keen eyes.
"........"
Everyone held their breath, carefully observing the princesses' reactions.
In truth, everyone had similar thoughts. It felt like the sale of the Imperial Magic Tower was already unstoppable. Yet, they secretly harbored hope that the new inspector would prevent it.
Just as it seemed someone might suffocate from the tension,
Finally, the Magic Tower's inspector, Ezekiel, appeared.
However, he didn't bother with even the most basic formalities.
"I've been thinking…"
All eyes focused on this single man.
Could he really prevent the Tower's sale? What was he going to announce that made him act with such outrageous confidence…?
The man, bearing everyone's questions,
"It's better to just sell this tower."
Suddenly uttered words no one expected.
"........"
After his statement, silence fell.
"......."
As if time had stopped, the silence continued for a long while.
"......?"
Only after nearly a minute did Hedera's eyebrow twitch.
"...….!"
Belatedly, shock began to register on the mages' faces.
Their eyes grew almost three times larger and their mouths gaped open. They had heard the Inspector's words clearly, but it was shocking because they had heard them.
"Hehe, hehehe…"
The Third Princess, Solana, burst into laughter at that moment.
Simultaneously, everyone sensed it.
…This presentation was already an unprecedented situation.
To read all 150 episodes, patreon.com/Makima02