✦ Chapter 51 – Sun Elixir (3) ✦
On the day of the duel, he finally faced the truth.
“You’re taking a vacation, but why do you look like that?” Secretary Agnes asked, seemingly puzzled.
“I tend to be busier on my days off.”
“I don’t understand what you mean.”
Ezekiel exhaled a long stream of sunweed smoke. Of course, to Agnes’s eyes, he must appear rather peculiar.
This duel was to be held in secret, so he had no choice but to take a vacation from the Imperial Magic Tower. Of course, taking part in the duel and taking a vacation were not issues in themselves.
It was just the content of the duel he received today that was the real problem.
[Come to Dominen Valley.]
The betting method of deciding the winner by snatching the armband was fine, but the opponent being none other than the First Imperial Princess was cause for concern.
‘One with a keen interest in Elixirs. So this is what it meant.’
The First Imperial Princess, Ether.
Madness.
Whenever Ezekiel thought of the First Princess, this was the word that came to mind first. Ether had been obsessed with strength since she was a child, to the point of madness.
In fact, the Emperor had also raised the First Princess for that purpose. The anecdote came to mind that as a newborn baby, the First Princess had been bathed in the precious Sun Elixir.
Of course, there was one more thing to worry about.
‘…Oversee? The Emperor himself?’
It was rare for the Emperor to leave the audience chamber under any circumstances. For him to personally attend a duel, even one involving the First Princess, was extraordinary.
It was then that Agnes spoke up.
“Are you heading somewhere far instead of your quarters?”
“I’m likely going to Dominen Valley.”
“Another jest? Very well, I’ll drop it.”
Agnes sighed deeply as she organized her documents.
“Why do you say that? It’s possible I might go.”
“Are you unaware of how dense the fog is in Dominen Valley? The mana is thick, the terrain treacherous. The survival rate is so low that not even requests come in for that area.”
Ezekiel was not oblivious to these facts.
Indeed, obtaining an elixir would not be easy, he thought, taking another drag from his sunweed.
“Ensure the Magic Tower is well-guarded in my absence.”
“I would have come to the Tower today even if it were my day off.”
“I didn’t realize your loyalty ran so deep.”
“That’s not the reason.”
Agnes shook her head firmly, elegantly manipulating a cube in one hand as usual.
“The First Imperial Princess has returned to the capital. You never know… she might pass by the Imperial Magic Tower.”
“Ah, you wish to catch a glimpse?”
“Yes, that’s right. The Goddess of War, the Queen of All Cures, the Strongest… I’d like to see her in person, just once.” Agnes’ gaze drifted towards the window; though her expression remained as impassive as ever, her anticipation was palpable. She was hoping that the First Princess might wander near the Imperial Magic Tower.
“The Goddess of War, the Queen of All Cures, the Strongest… Quite a collection of titles.” Ezekiel exhaled another puff of sunweed smoke before asking, “Agnes, what kind of person do you think would propose marriage to such a First Princess?”
“A madman. One who has completely lost his mind.”
Agnes clicked her tongue disapprovingly as she withdrew from the office.
Left alone, Ezekiel quietly nodded to himself.
“…I’ve never been in my right mind to begin with.”
Why wasn’t he in his right mind? Why indeed.
• • • ₪ • • •
Inside the Imperial Palace.
‘A duel, huh? Well, this is better than I expected.’
Hedera reflected on this thought after confirming Ezekiel’s report.
Although the Sun Elixir couldn’t be offered until it was brewed next month, the list of elixirs provided was reassuring. It contained nothing but rare and precious items.
“Has something pleasant occurred, Your Highness?”
Solana approached Hedera discreetly.
Hedera shrugged nonchalantly, hiding her true feelings, “Hardly. I’m constantly swamped with work.”
“I see. Then you must be busy today as well. I presume you’ll be spending time at the Magic Tower?”
“Is that even a question? Of course I will.”
Hedera responded curtly, hoping to dismiss Solana.
It wasn’t entirely untrue that she would be busy today. Hedera planned to make preparations and then personally observe the duel between the First Imperial Princess and Ezekiel.
Of course, she was somewhat disappointed that the elixirs wouldn’t be provided outright. The format of a duel was less than ideal, but…
‘His Imperial Majesty has partially granted my request. This has never happened before in my entire life.’
Hedera briefly reflected on the past.
It was commonplace for the Emperor to refuse most requests, not even opening the doors to the audience chamber. Even on the rare occasions when a dialogue was possible, requests were often rejected with instructions to rely on one’s own strength.
…Yes, even this much was an extraordinary turn of events.
“Well, then, I wish the Second Princess shadowy peace,” Solana said with a sly smile.
“It’s not ‘shadowy peace,’ it’s ‘peace’… wait a moment.” Hedera furrowed her brow, “You deliberately used the wrong word just now, didn’t you?”
‘Shadowy peace’ implied an ill omen, like a gloomy specter. It couldn’t have been a simple mistake, given that ‘Shadowy peace’ and ‘peace’ had precisely opposite meanings.
However, Solana merely smiled as usual.
“Heh heh, could that be? You must truly be busy today to be so sensitive.”
Only then did Hedera properly observe Solana’s appearance. Compared to her usual demeanor, she seemed unusually excited, even carrying a picnic basket.
“Let me ask you one thing: why are you so elated?”
“The blessings of the Sun God are overflowing in the world today. How could I not be elated?”
Hedera frowned at the rote response; it seemed the other party was also intent on concealing her true motives.
“Then you must be busy offering prayers today, right? And here I thought you might be going on a picnic. Imagine that, the esteemed Third Imperial Princess, who should never have a moment of leisure.”
“You need not worry. I will be at the temple.”
.
.
.
.
.
Several hours later.
At the entrance of Dominen Valley.
“………….”
“………….”
Hedera and Solana found themselves face to face.
“Is this the Imperial Magic Tower? I had no idea,” Solana remarked sarcastically.
“Is this the temple? How surprising,” Hedera retorted in kind.
Both princesses muttered simultaneously, their tones dripping with disbelief.
• • • ₪ • • •
The journey into the valley alongside the Emperor was rather peculiar.
In fact, ‘peculiar’ barely scratched the surface; the sensation of walking beside a formless, transcendent being was profoundly surreal.
‘There’s no sound of footsteps.’
The Emperor’s steps were still soundless. Only his regal robe, suspended in mid-air, swayed with dignified grace.
“The fog is quite thick, isn’t it?” the Emperor commented.
“Yes, indeed,” Ezekiel replied.
Dominen Valley.
While the name ‘Dominen’ might not be universally recognized, most would understand if it were referred to as the ‘Valley of Death’s Mist.’ The fog was so dense that taking even a single step forward was challenging.
The Emperor advanced without hesitation, as if he could see through it all.
“This place was often used for exiles. Come to think of it, Ezekiel, your competence spared you from ever having to experience this place. It’s quite fascinating, you know.”
“Is that so?”
“Indeed. I promised freedom to anyone who could escape, yet not a single soul ever managed it.”
Ezekiel wondered why the Emperor had summoned him to such a place.
‘He even called me here an hour early.’
Despite the duel with the First Imperial Princess being a full hour away, Emperor Verd had summoned Ezekiel in advance.
Could there be some hidden agenda? Were all those precious elixirs merely bait?
Just as this thought crossed his mind, the Emperor halted.
Kwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa—!
Suddenly, three monsters burst through the fog.
At the same time, the air distorted into a vortex.
Kwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa—!
With a sickening crunch, the monsters’ bodies twisted spirally, spilling blood as if they were being wrung out like wet laundry.
Thud—
What fell to the ground could hardly be called corpses. They more closely resembled crumpled tissues.
‘As expected, it’s not magic.’
Ezekiel attempted to analyze the Emperor’s abilities.
It certainly wasn’t magic, at least. The Emperor’s true nature and the source of his power remained frustratingly vague.
“To hold someone’s life in your hands, to decide between life and death,” the Emperor spoke leisurely, “For me, it’s as simple as this.”
His gaze suddenly shifted to Ezekiel’s hand.
“Oh, are those fruits?”
In Ezekiel’s hand was an oddly timed fruit basket. Ezekiel respectfully offered it instead of answering.
— He likes fruit. It might be helpful.
Solana’s words had prompted him to bring it, just in case.
Crunch— Crunch— Crunch— Crunch—
To his surprise, it worked. The surreal sight of an apple gradually being consumed and disappearing into thin air was fascinating, made all the more extraordinary by the fact that it was the Emperor doing so.
“Quite tasty,” the Emperor remarked.
“I’m glad you enjoy them. I brought them on a whim.”
In fact, it was Solana who had chosen them, but that was confidential information.
Perhaps because the Emperor liked the fruit, the atmosphere was not as bleak as before.
“There are no prying ears here, so let me continue our earlier conversation. While taking or sparing lives is a simple matter for me, winning hearts is an entirely different affair.”
Crunch— Crunch— Crunch— Crunch—
Another apple vanished from mid-air, and one more disappeared from the fruit basket.
“Ezekiel, how did you win the hearts of my daughters?”
“Well…”
Ezekiel pondered quietly.
‘Could this be why he summoned me here?’
Even the almighty Emperor was concerned about his daughters.
Or was he? Ezekiel couldn’t quite discern which interpretation was correct.
Was the Emperor uncomfortable with Ezekiel having won the princesses’ affections, or did he desire to win their hearts himself? Ezekiel knew he needed to figure out which it was.
‘If it’s the former…’
Aware that Dominen Valley could potentially become his grave, Ezekiel carefully probed the Emperor’s intentions, subtly redirecting the conversation.
“I pale in comparison to Your Majesty. Reflecting on our conversations, there has been much praise directed towards Your Majesty.”
Crunch—crunch—crunch—
The apple began to disappear more rapidly. This, too, was perplexing. Was it a sign of the Emperor’s pleasure or discomfort?
“This dates back to when I served as their master…”
Crunch—
The apple suspended in mid-air abruptly halted.
…Understood. Him rapidly eating the apples meant he was in a good mood.
Ezekiel hastily added, “Even recently, the respect towards Your Majesty remains unwavering.”
Crunch—crunch—crunch—crunch—
The apples disappeared in quick succession.
Just as Ezekiel felt his understanding of the Emperor growing, familiar voices pierced the air.
“Ah, there they are!”
“I know. I can see them with my own eyes.”
When he looked up, Ezekiel saw two precious women cutting through the mist.
The Second Imperial Princess Hedera and the Third Imperial Princess Solana had arrived.
“My daughters,” the Emperor’s voice softened, perhaps due to Ezekiel’s recent words about their reverence. After all, hearing of one’s children’s respect would naturally evoke affection.
However—
A problem immediately arose.
“Inspector, how is your health?”
“Master, have you eaten?”
The issue was their destination.
The women ignored the Emperor and clung to Ezekiel. Both of them.
“Master, is the First Princess not here yet? It’s not good to stay in such a place for too long. I am worried.”
“What’s the point of this duel anyway? She should just give it to you outright.”
“…………..”
As they openly criticized the Emperor, Ezekiel suddenly felt as if he were standing barefoot on a bed of needles.
“I… would like to be alone until the duel begins,” Ezekiel attempted a diplomatic solution.
But his efforts were in vain.
“Then I shall offer prayers nearby.”
“Who are you to decide? I’ll set up a protective barrier instead.”
Ezekiel glanced sideways.
“…………”
The apple hung motionless in mid-air.