✦ Chapter 32 – I Will Teach You What Fear Is (6) ✦
Secret Archives, Section F of the Temple Archives.
In this space, reserved exclusively for Solana’s eyes, information was meticulously arranged. And today, an unexpected guest of honor was scrutinizing each character with intense focus.
It was none other than the Second Imperial Princess, Hedera, possessor of the Dragon Blood.
“……….….”
The content themselves were vast, yet they were concisely summarized in a mere 50-page dossier. This document contained comprehensive information about the current Inspector, Ezekiel.
“…Is this all?”
Hedera muttered, unable to mask her bewilderment.
The archivist, wrapped from head to toe in white cloth, had been observing her reactions carefully. With great difficulty, they managed a slight nod.
“This is absurd. Are you toying with me?” Hedera, uncharacteristically, couldn’t help but let slip a crass remark. Her reaction was understandable. She had personally come to this archive to unravel all the knots in her mind, yet the crucial information seemed to be truncated.
As the Second Princess’s mood visibly darkened, the nearby archivist could only stand helplessly.
“Y-Your Highness, as you’re aware, these classified documents here were all personally prepared by the Third Imperial Princess herself. If it’s not written here, then the information truly doesn’t exist. We assure you, we’re not concealing anything. Please, calm your anger…”
“I understand. Now, silence.”
She sealed the archivist’s lips with her Dragon Speech.
“How could this be…”
Hedera began to re-examine the document from the first page.
Even on her second read-through, chills ran down her spine.
She narrowed her eyes, her pupils vertically slit like a dragon’s, staring at the document as if she could tear it apart with her gaze.
⌠The subject in question is currently undergoing self-treatment due to excessive cold energy. It is believed that periodic, intense measures will be required, and the duration of treatment is impossible to estimate.⌡
It was an unbelievable statement.
At least, that was what Hedera thought. In the distant past, wasn’t Ezekiel, her master, the one who had reached the pinnacle in the field of Ice mana manipulation?
…And now, he had been consumed by the very Ice he had once mastered?
Hedera’s fingertips hastily turned the pages.
⌠All internal heat-generating organs are in a state of paralysis. While we cannot pinpoint the exact cause, there is reason to believe they were forcibly shut down due to external intervention. Status: Pending.⌡
⌠Due to the deteriorating condition, the subject can utilize only a fraction of their total mana reserve, with an abysmal level of efficiency.⌡
“………….”
The prowess Ezekiel had demonstrated during his appointment had been astounding.
To think that such a display was the result of abysmal mana efficiency? Anyone, not just Hedera, would have failed to notice. His worst was beyond many others’ best.
And then.
The final line.
A line that she found unbelievable no matter how many times she read it.
⌠Time left to live: Not long.⌡
Something in Hedera’s heart sank.
“Is this really all?”
Hedera mumbled again, dazed, but no answer came. It was a question impossible to answer.
The Second Princess then closed the document and started reading from the first page again.
After finishing the last page, she returned to the beginning.
Again and again.
No matter how many times she repeated this, there was nothing more written.
Thump─ Thump─
Suddenly, her heartbeat began to intensify. For Hedera, who had always responded to everything with detached emotions, this was a rare feeling she hadn’t experienced in a long time. Its name was anxiety.
Thump─ Thump─
A terminal illness?
She hadn’t known.
No, it was something she couldn’t even have imagined.
Strength inherently encompasses health. How long had he, who seemed stronger than anyone, been carrying such a burden? She couldn’t tell when.
‘The reason my Dragon Speech worked was…’
Because his body was suffering from such a severe condition. Her command must have been an immense strain on him.
Gulp.
The Second Princess quietly swallowed her dry saliva.
If this was the reason he had left Hedera, if this was the circumstance he had kept secret… it all made sense why he had hidden it so desperately.
— There are such things in this world. Things that become sinful just by trying to know them, things that cause immense pain just by asking about them…
Yes, thinking of it as a terminal illness, she understood.
It was more than enough reason to keep silent.
It was more than enough reason to try to hide it by any means.
Thump─ Thump─
“…………”
Dragons were synonymous with immortality.
The immortal Hedera had demanded answers from the terminally ill Ezekiel.
When she had insisted he explain himself, how must he have felt, bearing the full weight of this truth? She, who had never worried about lifespan, couldn’t even begin to imagine.
Thump─ Thump─
Beads of sweat began to form on her forehead.
At the same time, another question surfaced.
‘With a terminal illness… why did he reappear?’
Suddenly, her conversation with the Third Imperial Princess Solana came to mind.
— So, why did you appoint an Inspector to my Imperial Magic Tower as you please?
— It’s for his own good too.
For his own good. That’s what Solana had said.
How on earth could this be good for him?
“Could it be…”
Did Ezekiel value Hedera’s Ascension Ceremony more than his own life? Was he compelled to appear, just as his letter had said, for Hedera’s happiness?
If.
If by any chance.
If Hedera’s assumption was correct.
Thump─ Thump─
What did it mean that Hedera had proposed the Ruiple wager, wanting to test him once more? How must that have felt to him?
Thump─ Thump─
Still, her heart raced with anxiety.
Because Ezekiel had shown no sign of his condition.
Because he had not uttered a single complaint.
Thump─ Thump─
And so, there seemed to be no end to this anxiety.
“Ah…”
Hedera’s grip tightened. Before long, the document in her hand crumpled.
She quickly turned her head to look at the clock.
Ezekiel must have just arrived at Ruiple by now. It would take at least a few days for him to return, but what should Hedera prepare in the meantime?
‘…The Imperial Treasury.’
She had promised to open the Imperial Treasury if she lost the wager. Could there be something helpful there? At the very least, there might be an elixir to improve his health.
“……………”
However, she had to stop that train of thought.
She had promised to open the Imperial Treasury, yes.
If she lost the wager.
…That is, if Ezekiel won.
Thump─ Thump─
‘Can he win?’
Ezekiel’s health couldn’t be worse; it was nearly at its worst. Though he might appear fine on the surface, he was essentially a castle built on sand.
And his opponent was the guard knight, Valken.
Valken’s recent performances had been nothing short of excellent. Why, right up until his departure, he had been tirelessly swinging his sword in the training grounds, showing no signs of fatigue.
A mage at his worst versus a knight at his best.
Hedera felt she could predict the outcome of this contest.
Thump─ Thump─
Her once steady stance finally faltered.
Her heart, unable to bear the anxiety, felt ready to burst.
Beads of sweat trickled down the woman’s spine.
Her mind had long since gone blank.
~~••~~••~~
Ruiple.
Ezekiel and Tirbi were walking alone together.
“To think that the esteemed Inspector of the Imperial Magic Tower would request a drinking session with me, I can’t express what an honor this is!”
Tirbi led the way, her excitement palpable; she prided herself on her shrewdness and was quick to judge which strings to pull.
Agnes? Her interest had waned the moment she learned she was merely a secretary. Clearly, the person Tirbi needed to persuade now was Ezekiel, the Inspector of the Imperial Magic Tower.
‘This will be easy.’
What better proof that things were going well than the Inspector himself desiring to share a drink with Tirbi alone?
Fortunately, the Inspector seemed to be materialistic. How fortunate indeed.
And so, they arrived at a somewhat suggestive dwelling.
Of course, the atmosphere of this place was intentional. Tirbi deliberately showcased her hips as she rummaged through the stored liquor.
“Being in Ruiple, I’m not sure if we have any liquor worthy of your satisfaction, Inspector. It would be impolite to serve lukewarm alcohol.”
“It doesn’t matter.”
Ezekiel crafted a glass from ice. Not an ordinary glass, but one encircled by a frost dragon.
‘Oh, so he can handle this level of magic?’
But the intention behind creating such an exquisite glass was obvious. Wasn’t he trying to score points with Tirbi? She inwardly mocked Ezekiel.
And so the drinking session began.
Tirbi quietly brushed her hair behind her ear.
“I’m not sure if someone as lowly as myself should dare to serve drinks to the Inspector. Ah, I noticed the knights busy moving about… Are you alright with that, Inspector?”
“Let them wander. They’ll only tire themselves out.”
Tirbi suppressed a laugh that threatened to burst forth.
‘Look at this fool, putting work entirely on the back burner?’
Was he solely interested in Tirbi, regardless of performance or duty? It was so ridiculous it was almost unbelievable.
“Inspector, let me pour you a drink first!”
“Go ahead.”
His gaze, as he answered briefly, was fixed on Tirbi.
“…But Inspector, you keep looking at me?”
A simple, seductive remark.
“Didn’t I tell you?”
However, Ezekiel drained his glass lightly and said, “That I’m only interested in you.”
Tirbi’s hand, pouring the drink, hesitated for a moment.
Come to think of it, the Inspector’s gaze was somewhat different.
“…………”
Piercing blue eyes, like the gleam of a predator encountered in the dead of night.
Somehow, it felt as if he could see through everything about Tirbi.
— End of Chapter —
Translator’s Notes :-
When I woke up this morning, I found out that my AC isn’t working. And rain dampened my clothes that I had put out to dry. Today might be one of the worst days.
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