✦ Chapter 84 – The Punishment (1) ✦
「Translator – Creator」
At last, it was the day of the exchange meeting.
The Imperial Magic Tower’s delegation had left the outskirts of the Black Tower’s territory and was making their way toward the central spire.
Sssss–!
They traveled at a dizzying speed, gliding along an icy path created by Ezekiel.
Meanwhile, Agnes stole a glance at Ezekiel.
“………..….”
Even a simple glance was enough to trigger a cascade of memories, visions of his tormented past. The fear she had experienced was still too raw, too vivid.
“Yes?”
“There are… five imperial princesses, correct?”
However, Ezekiel responded with a question, “Why do you ask all of a sudden?”
He didn’t answer her question, instead choosing to question her motives. It seemed he was suspicious.
“Just… curious.”
“Yes, there are five.”
Agnes recalled the scene from Ezekiel’s past—the scene where he’d tried to save the princesses. Five princesses, rescued, but one taken by the Demon King. Which meant there should have been six princesses.
“……..….”
Agnes continued to gaze at Ezekiel.
Though the man standing before her was undeniably Ezekiel, it felt as if he wasn’t entirely the same. The disparity between his passionate past self and his present self was too stark.
“Inspector.”
“Yes?”
“Did you ever… have a dream?”
“………..….”
Ezekiel looked at her, a flicker of surprise in his eyes.
“That’s unusual. Asking about things that aren’t related to the mission.”
Agnes had to come up with a good excuse.
For her, this was a challenging task. She had never really engaged in casual conversation before.
“…It’s a rather… long journey.”
This was the best excuse she could come up with.
“I never realized you were capable of experiencing boredom. You learn something new every day.”
His gaze returned to the path ahead.
“…Dreams? There were times when… I longed for certain things.”
Agnes quietly studied his profile.
“But I lacked the ability to make those dreams… a reality.”
She focused on his eyes, a shade of blue that had once been vibrant, but was now dulled, clouded with regret. It wasn’t alcohol or age that had caused the change, she realized, but the weight of his past.
“Then, do you have no dreams now?”
“Not many.”
His voice was flat, emotionless.
“Just… to live a little longer, I suppose.”
When someone else might say it, it would seem like an ordinary wish.
But Agnes remembered what Valletta had said.
—It seems you’ve acquired… a terminal condition. I doubt we’ll meet again.
…She understood now.
How desperately he must have wished for that…
How much he must have yearned…
How much he must have suffered…
Agnes frowned, her heart heavy with newfound empathy.
“Have you ever… wanted to quit being an inspector?”
“Well…”
Ezekiel shrugged.
“There have been times, sure. It can be quite a hassle.”
He had switched from the lollipop to a sunweed in his mouth. With all the data collection completed, there was no longer a need to maintain his disguise.
“But there are certain things… that I can only obtain by doing this job. That’s why I continue.”
He exhaled a plume of smoke.
Agnes now found herself preoccupied with the sunweed too.
She had always wondered why he chewed on them so casually, considering they were a rare and potent medicinal herb. She’d never imagined it was because of a… terminal condition.
How much pain was he in? How long could he possibly hold on?
“This incompetent secretary is one of those things I gained.”
He smiled faintly.
“I told you to signal me if you were in trouble, but you waited until you were on the verge of death to even shed a tear. Such an incompetent secretary… where else would I find one like you?”
He turned to face her, his gaze intense.
“Don’t you agree?”
…This was bad.
Everything had changed. She couldn’t look at him the same way ever again, knowing what she knew now about his past.
Of course, she didn’t know everything, but knowing just a part was enough to change her stance.
No, maybe it was better she only knew a part. She wasn’t sure she could face the whole truth.
Agnes had always lived by the manual.
What wasn’t in the manual, she didn’t know. She had no idea how to react to this situation, what to say, what to do.
Should she try to forget?
If that were possible, she would have already forgotten. It was already too late for that.
Should she feel sympathy, then?
But did she have the right to feel that way?
No one could truly understand his pain. It was a burden he carried alone, a deep, unyielding sorrow that had settled over his heart like ashes.
…And yet…
She made a decision.
“Inspector.”
The urge to help him…
…it came not from the manual, but from somewhere deep within her.
“Those things… that you can only obtain by doing this job… will you continue to be an Inspector… until you obtain them all?”
“Well…”
Ezekiel’s hesitant response struck Agnes as an admission that nothing in his life was certain.
“I suppose that’s what I’ll do.”
“In that case…”
Agnes seized the opportunity.
“If I fulfill my duties as your secretary… will it help you achieve your goals?”
“You’re acting very… uncharacteristically today.”
He chewed on his sunweed, his gaze fixed on her.
And then… he smiled. A genuine, heartfelt smile.
“That’s quite an… admirable sentiment.”
It slightly shook Agnes.
“………….”
She quickly looked away, unable to meet his gaze.
His smile… it was too much for her to bear.
How much courage must it have taken for a man so burdened by pain, so haunted by loss, to summon even a flicker of joy?
“Agnes, just… do what you want to do.”
As they journeyed towards the Black Tower, the pieces of the puzzle began to fall into place for Agnes.
The extraordinary skill he displayed at the Imperial Magic Tower.
Agnes prided herself on being able to categorize most people into manuals, but Ezekiel was someone who never fit into any of those categories. He was always an unpredictable mage.
His talents were too extraordinary to be considered mere accidents, and the way he effortlessly performed near-impossible tasks now made sense in light of his past.
The image of their first meeting flashed through her mind.
A seemingly indolent figure, barely out of a drunken stupor.
When everything was broken, and no hope remained, alcohol must have been his only refuge. Surviving was a miracle in itself.
She understood that now, too.
“What I want to do…” she murmured, repeating his words.
He, who had been denied even the simplest of dreams, was encouraging her to pursue her own desires. How ironic. How poignant.
“Oh! I can see the spire!”
Tether shouted as she pointed ahead.
Agnes looked up as well.
There it was—the Black Tower, its spire rising above the landscape.
“What I want to do…”
She knew now.
She had always been content with a simple life, a stable job, a comfortable routine. She had never aspired to greatness.
And yet…
Perhaps… for the first time in her life…
…she had a goal.
Agnes chose her next words carefully.
“Let’s… destroy the Black Tower.”
Her priority was to ensure the success of this mission, to help Ezekiel achieve his goals.
That… was what she wanted most.
“My, my. I never realized you had such a ruthless streak.”
Thankfully, Ezekiel laughed.
• • • ₪ • • •
Ten minutes before the start of the presentations.
Hedera made her way to the observation gallery.
She was attending the exchange meeting as an observer. The event was strictly for mages, a tradition that even a princess couldn’t break.
Not that she had any intention of doing so. She held the title of Tower Master, but her involvement with the Imperial Magic Tower had mostly been limited to financial support.
“Your seat is this way, Your Highness.”
An attendant guided Hedera to a special VIP seat. It was positioned at an immense height, allowing her to look down at the conference hall below.
“Good job. You may go.”
Hedera quietly dismissed her attendant.
Below, she could see the circular conference hall.
It resembled an arena more than a conference hall, with the main figures conducting their meetings in the center, surrounded by thick spectator stands.
The seats were packed, every single one occupied.
“……..….”
But the structure didn’t matter.
The number of spectators didn’t matter either.
Her attention was focused on a single, glaring detail.
‘…The Imperial Magic Tower is still absent.’
All the key figures from the other Magic Towers filled the seats, yet the seats reserved for the Imperial Magic Tower remained vacant.
—The presentations will begin in five minutes.
—Tower representatives, please gather at the center stage.
Hedera took a deep breath, steeling herself.
She had faith in Ezekiel, believing that he would accomplish his mission.
…And then, after the exchange meeting was over, she would demand answers.