The Imperial Palace I revisited was completely different from the one in my
memory.
Back then, the empire was on the brink of collapse due to the demonic
realm. The palace, once precarious like a leaf on the edge of a cliff, now
presented nothing but fascinating sights.
There were statues with the sun insignia towering over most buildings,
artificial gardens proving prosperity since the demonic gates closed, and
gold decorations adorning every corner of the buildings. This was the
current Imperial Palace.
Anes glanced at me.
"What's with that reaction, like you've been here before?"
"Right. I wish this was my first visit too."
─Jaekiel! Where is Jaekiel?
─Oh dear, Lord Jaekiel! Just this once…!
─This really is the last time, Jaekiel!
There was a time when I used to visit the palace dozens of times a day, and
it wasn't exactly a happy memory.
Every time I completed one task, ten more would pile up. Guiding the five
princesses was more like babysitting than teaching. Even managing the
members of the royal secret organization was my job.
Anes and I walked down a path elegantly decorated with flowers.
"Though it's called a palace, you should think of it as a whole district.
Otherwise, you might get lost like a fool."
Perhaps it was a symptom of being a workaholic, but Anes seemed oddly
happy when explaining something. I pretended not to notice and played
along.
"Really? Is it that spacious?"
"Just separating the areas where His Majesty and the princesses reside
makes six zones. There are even structures underground."
"Wow, that's smart."
"…It's nothing."
Anes tucked a strand of her short hair behind her ear.
As we continued walking, wide training grounds appeared on both sides.
Chuk! Chuk!
On the left training ground, soldiers moved their spears and stamped their
feet in unison. Perfectly synchronized drills. Just watching their perfect
balance and symmetry was soothing.
"Drill training; is there an event coming up?"
"All except the 3rd Princess are currently away. They will return to the
palace the day after tomorrow, and these drills are to welcome them."
"So only the 3rd Princess is in the palace now."
"…Don't get any ideas. You won't be meeting her."
On the other hand, the soldiers on the right training ground were fiercely
fighting with wooden weapons. It didn't even feel like mock training.
"They're doing their usual training over there. The erosion of demonic
energy has become severe recently. They're preparing for any eventuality."
"I don't remember asking about that."
"…"
Anes stopped walking and narrowed her eyes. Since she didn't get jokes at
all, it made teasing her fun.
She took out her notebook and started jotting something down.
[ I don't like you either. ]
[ Don't tell him anything. ]
"…What's that about?"
"You don't need to know."
Anes snapped her notebook shut and gestured quickly at some royal
officials and soldiers approaching from afar.
"Here. Take over this person. Hurry."
As I started to walk with the soldiers, I glanced back.
"Anes, let's at least say hello if we meet again."
"No. We will never meet again."
"There's no such thing as never."
I chuckled and put a piece of Sun Grass in my mouth.
Emperor, have you been well?
"…What a nasty temper."
I couldn't help but mutter that.
I was placed in a very familiar room. No, I was imprisoned.
Audience with the emperor? Meeting a princess? None of that had
happened yet.
"Nothing has changed in this place. Not a thing."
The interior of the room was incredibly luxurious. From the high-end
furniture, whose value was unimaginable, to the fully stocked necessities.
This was the Penitence Palace from when I was in the Imperial Palace.
Someone thrown into this place might think.
I don't want to leave. I want to stay here forever.
Yes, and that's why there were no windows or exits. The moment you start
wanting to leave, that's when the joy slowly turns into fear.
I sank into a plush sofa and chewed on a piece of Sun Grass.
*Pop! *The small explosion in my mouth. Simultaneously, thoughts began
to rise.
"So, they're going to decide my fate while keeping me locked up?"
I tried to guess the Emperor's intentions.
First, he was nearly omniscient, like a god, so he knew everything.
He had five beloved daughters. And some guy proposed to all five of them
simultaneously. Even worse, one of them, unaware of the full story,
accepted the proposal…
"…It's understandable that he hates me."
In fact, I should be grateful he didn't tear me to pieces right away.
I was having these thoughts when it happened.
Slam.
The door opened, and a woman was pushed inside the Penitence Palace.
A very familiar face. It was Anes.
"…"
Even after the door closed, Anes just stood there awkwardly. Her hand,
unable to overcome her discomfort, spun the cube wildly.
"I understand."
I nodded quietly.
"You said we'd never meet again, but here we are. It must be embarrassing,
right? I get it."
"…I was just given an additional task!"
Anes retorted with a slightly flushed face. Like a sparrow fluffing up its
feathers in warning, but not threatening at all.
"You can yell too? I didn't know that."
"It's true. The 3rd Princess will personally meet you tomorrow, so I was
tasked with observing you for one more day."
"I thought you were quite experienced, but you're just a rookie."
"What?"
"Taking on extra tasks is a rookie's privilege."
"I'm not a rookie. I'm just new."
Same difference.
So that's why she's so obsessed with work. Anes was just a tightly wound
newcomer. At that moment, she looked even more like a sparrow.
Anyway, I understood thanks to that. Anes wasn't calm because she was so
experienced. She was calm because she knew nothing.
I chewed on my Sun Grass and asked.
"Anes, do you know this building?"
"Isn't it just an ordinary lodging?"
"So it's your first time here."
"Didn't you just arrive ten minutes before me?"
Anes narrowed her eyes and stared at me.
"This is the Penitence Palace."
"…Penitence Palace?"
I briefly told her about this place. Starting from the structure to the fact that
it couldn't be escaped by ordinary means.
Anes, still expressionless, blinked a few times.
"To my knowledge, there's no such building within the Imperial Palace."
"It's not something to boast about. And what would a rookie know?"
"Even if it's true… How do you know the palace so well?"
"I wonder. Anyway. Do you get cold easily?"
"I don't get cold. Why are you changing the subject─"
But Anes couldn't finish her sentence.
"Well, that's good."
Fwoosh!
The space turned white in an instant.
It manifested so quickly that Anes didn't feel any forewarning, and
everything white was now tightly packed frost. With a single breath, I had
turned the place into an ice cave.
Anes exhaled and asked.
"…What are you doing all of a sudden?"
"Look at this."
Following my gaze, Anes soon saw it.
The entire space wasn't frozen. Oddly enough, there were lines that the
frost hadn't touched, forming a wide web-like pattern on the floor.
I placed my hand at the center and infused it with my mana.
Then, a blue light floated in the air as if in response. The light, which had
been shimmering, took the shape of lines and eventually formed words.
To the Penitence Palace.
One, today there are three guests in the Penitence Palace.
Two, by tomorrow, the number should be reduced to two.
Three, if the above conditions are not met, the Penitence Palace will be
destroyed.
Anes, who had been expressionless, slightly twitched her eyebrows.
"…What is this?"
"I told you. You can't get out by normal means."
That's probably why the 3rd Princess's actions were limited to meeting us.
She must have wanted an audience, but the Emperor placed me in the
Penitence Palace. Anyway, to meet the Princess, I had to get out of here.
Meanwhile, Anes continued speaking.
"The destruction of the Penitence Palace, could it be…"
"It's exactly what you think. Total annihilation."
"That can't be. I'm a royal administrator."
"Do you remember signing various things when you became an
administrator? Like you could die on duty, and your family would get
multiple times the compensation."
"…"
Anes blinked blankly. Of course.
"Most of those things are like this. Always extraordinary."
"So you're saying I have to kill someone for my survival?"
"Don't worry. Usually, it's death row fugitives who come in."
Knock, knock.
Just then, a knocking sound echoed through the space.
"…!"
Anes narrowed her brows and jumped up from her seat. The presence
emanating from beyond the door was ominous and overwhelming.
"This intense energy… Black magic…?"
She hurriedly rifled through her notebook.
"This is strange. There's nothing like this in the manual…"
"Stop fussing and sit down."
I grabbed Anes's wrist and sat her next to my.
Of course, Anes didn't calm down immediately. Her life had been built
entirely according to the manual from start to finish.
"The job is unfair, and now my life is at risk. How can I calm down in this
situation? At least I should secure a safe position in advance."
"No, your current position is the safest here."
I leisurely crossed my arms and chewed on the Sun Grass.
In fact, contrary to its name, the Penitence Palace was more like a forge. A
place where lives were pushed to strangle each other, endlessly repeating to
create weapons.
In the past, there was a boy who survived countless repetitions.
There was a weapon tempered to withstand the furnace's insulation.
"The safest place inside the Penitence Palace. Where else but next to me?"
The weapon's name was Jaekiel.