She watched the situation with intense focus.
'…It doesn't feel real.'
The Black Tower had concocted a scheme far more evil than imagined.
Thus, Hedera was even prepared to take matters into her own hands.
Even if the Imperial Tower had to suffer the consequences of breaking the
non-aggression pact of the "Gathering of Magicians," she had no intention
of standing by and letting Jaekiel be framed.
Yes, she had definitely resolved to do so…
But in reality, Hedera didn't need to step in.
The Auditor's abilities were outstanding.
"What is that…? A barrier…?"
"What's happening inside?"
The magicians in the audience voiced their concerns.
It was understandable. At the center of the conference hall, a jet-black,
hemispherical barrier had enveloped Jaekiel and Teddy Divine. It was
overflowing with ominous energy.
"To absorb all those corpses…!"
"Did the Black Tower really prepare for the Transcendent State?"
Hearing this, Hedera quietly shook her head.
'It's not the Transcendent State.'
The Transcendent State was a realm only the transcendent could reach, but
the Black Tower Master's attempt was clearly makeshift.
Even with sufficient power, it lacked finesse. It was nothing more than a
disaster brimming with raw force.
Therefore, she wasn't worried about Jaekiel's safety.
It seemed that representatives from other towers had also sensed it, but
Hedera could feel it very clearly.
Jaekiel's cold aura was growing stronger, showing no signs of stopping, as
if to assert his presence.
And at that moment.
Crack, crack, crack!
Cracks formed in the black hemispherical barrier, and through the fissures,
blue cold energy began to pour out continuously.
'In such a short time, only the Auditor changed.'
The Imperial Tower had been a thorn in Hedera's side.
But that weakness had turned into a sharp fang, already biting into the
sinful towers and influencing the magical world.
And all of this was solely Jaekiel's achievement.
'He's only just taken the elixir.'
After this, Jaekiel was promised the Sun Water. What level of
accomplishment would he reach? Hedera found it hard to guess.
Perhaps.
One day, could she witness Jaekiel's Transcendent State as well?
Clang!
At that moment, the hemispherical barrier finally shattered completely,
clearly showing everyone that Teddy Divine's last desperate act had failed.
"…!"
"Whoa!"
"As expected of the Imperial Tower's Auditor!"
Everyone couldn't help but marvel.
But Hedera quietly fell into thought.
Solana's words suddenly came to mind.
─So, what did you do for him?
How much further would Jaekiel's achievements go?
Would Jaekiel ever reach the Transcendent State?
What would Jaekiel do?
Those things didn't matter.
"What should I prepare for him?"
Yes, that was what mattered now.
No matter what the Auditor did, Hedera planned to stay by his side, giving
him her unwavering support.
It was a point where she was truly pondering what she alone could do for
him.
"…He's my auditor, so I'll take care of him."
Hedera murmured quietly.
The complete victory of the Imperial Tower's Auditor had great
implications.
The atmosphere inside the conference hall changed in an instant.
"Arrest those Black Tower bastards!"
"Don't let a single one escape!"
The other towers joined in on the arrest of the Black Tower members.
"Aaahhh!"
The agonizing screams echoed loudly.
The Black Tower magicians located throughout the hall were quickly dealt
with. Those who surrendered peacefully were subdued, but those who
resisted violently were executed.
'…No. The Black Tower here has no chance of winning.'
One of the Black Tower's spies made up their mind.
Bang! Bang!
Crash!
In the chaos, the spy began to search for a way to survive. At the very least,
they were determined to save their own life.
It was fortunate they had cast a concealment spell from the beginning.
The spy touched the scroll hidden in their coat.
'I must protect this. Where should I escape to? The Demon Realm? Yes,
that would be better.'
The location where the former Black Tower Master was imprisoned, the
results of the Black Tower's cruel black magic… This scroll contained
many secrets. Surely, the Demon Realm would welcome it.
"Spare me!"
"Aaahhh!"
The hall was now divided into three distinct groups.
The Imperial Tower.
Those being punished by the Imperial Tower.
Those following the Imperial Tower's will.
Yes, the most notable point was that the Imperial Tower had completely
taken the center stage. The scales of importance had tilted too heavily now.
The other towers weren't entirely foolish, and they quickly calculated
which side to align with at this moment.
"Arrest as many as you can!"
"There's no reason to show mercy!"
Everyone chose to side with the Imperial Tower.
Whoosh!
The spy moved quickly under the concealment spell. Had there been a
moment recently when they felt such urgency to escape? Not at all.
But what was greater than the urgency was a sense of unease.
It was unbelievable that the towers had united so quickly, even under the
leadership of the Imperial Tower.
Today, the tower that should have been crushed was expected to be the
Imperial Tower…
'Let's just survive. As long as I live, there will always be another chance!'
The spy soon reached the exit.
Just as they were about to cross the threshold.
"Where are you off to in such a hurry, the restroom?"
Whack!
Something struck the spy's forehead hard.
"Ugh!"
If they weren't careful, their neck could have snapped. The tremendous
impact sent the spy flying, and they tumbled across the ground in a
disgraceful manner.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
They were thrown so hard that they kept bouncing and slamming into the
ground multiple times before finally coming to a stop.
"Ughh… My head, my head…"
The spy writhed in pain as they slowly lifted their head. A man was looking
down at them.
Jaekiel.
The Auditor of the Imperial Tower, it was him.
He looked over the scroll and spoke.
"As expected, they didn't treat the former Black Tower Master kindly.
Capturing and imprisoning innocent magicians—can you believe that?
They're truly something else."
"…?"
The spy's eyes widened in shock.
"Huh?"
They quickly began rummaging through their coat.
It was gone. The scroll had already been taken.
'When did this happen?'
They didn't know when he had appeared or how he had taken the scroll.
The spy's skills weren't enough to comprehend the Auditor's movements.
"…"
For a moment, they couldn't even feel the pain due to the shock.
As they stared blankly at the Auditor.
"Hey."
Jaekiel finally spoke, tossing a pair of ice cuffs towards the spy.
"If you've been living off the continent, the least you could do is fulfill your
duties as a magician. And you're thinking of running off to the Demon
Realm?"
"W-We have our own circumstances too!"
The spy retorted.
"You're the ones who discriminated against and rejected us first!"
"Wow…"
Jaekiel nodded, seemingly impressed.
"You really are the same as her, saying the same thing."
"…What? Same as who?"
"Who else? Teddy Divine."
Jaekiel took a Sun Grass in his mouth.
"What do you think happened to her?"
"Well…"
The spy's gaze shifted to Jaekiel's shoulder.
An ice spear rested on his shoulder, and at the tip, a girl's corpse dangled.
"…"
The moment the spy realized it was Teddy Divine.
The spy quietly picked up the ice cuffs.
Click.
They silently fastened them around their wrists. The fit was perfect.
"Truly, amazing…"
Anes murmured quietly.
It didn't feel real until she left, but now that the Imperial Tower's judgment
had reached its final stage, the tension slowly began to release, making her
body tremble.
'So this is what they call punishment, retribution.'
It was completely different from merely issuing a warning on paper and
imposing additional taxes. This was about cutting off the breath of those
who committed great sins. Truly remarkable.
Meanwhile, Tether sat down in a daze. Anes quietly moved next to her and
spoke.
"It seems we're at the final stage. You've worked hard."
"What could I have done?"
Tether replied in a slightly dejected voice.
"I thought I wasn't lazy in my training, but today I felt powerless. I can't
help but feel pathetic and reflective…"
Pathetic; it was a word with some nuance.
Both Tether and Anes had faithfully fulfilled their duties. It didn't mean
they accomplished something extraordinary, but they didn't neglect their
responsibilities either.
But at the same time, Anes understood Tether's feelings.
'The bar has simply been set too high.'
The sin of having witnessed Jaekiel. There was nothing else.
When you see excellence, at first, you're impressed, but later, you realize
your own shortcomings and despair. Anes knew that feeling well, as she had
experienced something similar.
Tether didn't even know Jaekiel's past. To her, he must have seemed like a
sudden genius, which only made it worse.
"Tether, there's no need to be discouraged."
"…"
"The Auditor is exceptionally great, and compared to that, your own level
might seem insignificant, but you mustn't despair."
"Oh…"
"Let's just work harder. For our own best."
"Miss Anes…"
Tether's face was filled with emotion.
She suddenly stood up and hugged Anes tightly.
"I always thought you were scary because of your expression, but you're
such a warm person, Miss Anes!"
"No, but suddenly hugging me like this…"
Anes was trying to push Tether away when— "Anes, I didn't know you
could give compliments. I didn't realize."
"…!"
Suddenly, Jaekiel's voice was heard.
Anes jumped in surprise like a frog.
"You were listening? Since when?"
"Well, I think I heard most of it."
"Oh…!"
Anes's face turned as red as a matchstick, as if it would burst into flames if
something brushed against it.
"Aha, so deep down, you were acknowledging me."
"It's not acknowledgment. No, well, it is, but…"
Anes quickly added.
"Calming Tether down was the priority. So, it was something I had to say
for the sake of the mission. Lower morale leads to a decrease in
performance…"
As she was speaking, Anes suddenly stopped.
As if time had stopped.
Jaekiel, who had been teasing her, tilted his head slightly.
"What's wrong? Did that upset you?"
"No, it's not that…"
Anes thought.
I'm the only one who knows Jaekiel's past. In other words, no one else
acknowledged Jaekiel's past.
…At least, shouldn't I be the one to praise him?
Isn't that something I could do for him?
"Hmph…"
Anes cleared her throat and stood in front of Jaekiel.
"Um, Auditor."
"What?"
"This time, hard…"
"Hard?"
Anes nodded.
"Yes. Hard…"
The problem was that Anes had never said such words before. She may
have uttered them routinely, but she had never meant them sincerely.
And now, her face felt like it was going to explode.
"Hard… Hard… Hard…"
"Oh ho~ Are you having trouble?"
Just then, Tether interrupted.
Her eyes sparkled with the discovery of that subtle tension unique to young
men and women. It seemed the gossip radar had been activated.
"It's a kind of trouble, but not that kind of 'hard'…Hard…"
"Meat? Are you hungry?"1
"…No. Please be quiet."
"Then pain? Breakdown? Pepper? Solitude?"
Tether's rambling seemed endless.
There was a strong sense of determination to egg her on.
"What could it be? Employment? Frustration? Income? Advice? Unique?
Leadership? Drama? Smoke? Bread? Beer? Horn charts? High stakes?
Profit? License? History? Output? Profitability?"
"…Stop."
"Were you bored? A cocoon dryer? High-yield bonds? Tip cap? Sensory
device? Eardrum layer? Ovarian section? Shooting range? Fixed support?
Pitch symbols? Tuning? Thermophilic plants? High-pressure valves? High
commissioner? Usury? A loom trough–"
"…St-Stop!"
Whoosh!
Finally, Anes extended something toward Jaekiel.
It was her right hand, rigid with tension.
"Hard… Hard… You've worked hard…! Auditor!"
Her face looked like it was about to explode as she offered a handshake.
"…"
For a moment, there was silence.
Jaekiel blinked, as if he hadn't expected it, and Tether suddenly whistled.
But then, at that moment.
Whoosh!
"…!"
Anes unconsciously shivered. A very ominous and terrifying aura had
enveloped her.
'…What is this?'
The source of the aura was above.
It was where the Second Princess was.
And it wasn't just that.
─You three. Come see me for a moment.
Soon, a thunderous voice resounded.