Chapter 17

Chapter 17

I Proposed While Drunk and Now the Princesses are Obsessed.

Episode 17: Auditor (6).

Imperial Tower’s Lounge.

“Do you know what kind of person the new auditor is?”

A tower employee asked Anes. It felt more like addressing an old friend than a visitor.

Well, it wasn’t strange since they had known each other since Anes was at the tower. Thanks to that, the lounge’s atmosphere was relaxed, and the employee continued while nibbling on a small dessert.

“It’s amazing. He’s a commoner with no family at all. He supposedly has no experience either. Surprisingly, that’s all the explanation.”

“….”

How could such a person be an auditor?

That was the only thought that crossed Anes’s mind.

An auditor’s duty was to ensure that the tower was heading towards the correct goals and to supervise that the members adhere strictly to principles and the ideals of magic in their duties.

However, to supervise and lead the tower’s members well, a significant level of support was indispensable. It could practically be considered a leadership position.

Click, click.

Anes spun a cube with one hand as usual.

As she continued pondering in silence for a while, the employee sitting across from her chuckled as if he expected this.

“So, you don’t want to become the auditor’s secretary after all? Let’s pretend this conversation never happened. Go back to the Imperial Palace quickly.”

Just as the employee was about to retrieve the documents on the desk,

“…No.”

Anes held onto the papers with telekinesis.

“I can’t go back to the Imperial Palace anyway. I have no choice.”

Having already submitted her resignation, Anes had no other options. The only position currently lacking manpower in the Imperial Tower was the secretary position, so what else could she do? She had to take it.

Click.

As they continued their conversation, a male employee entered the lounge. He was quite surprised to see Anes.

“Oh, what’s this? Isn’t it Anes?”

He was sure it was Anes after seeing the cube.

“It is you. What brings the Imperial Administrator here?”

“I’m no longer the Imperial Administrator.”

“…You didn’t quit there and come here, did you?”

The male employee’s eyes widened.

“You made a mistake. You came to a sinking ship.”

The female employee next to him immediately glared.

“Hey, why is that the first thing you say when you come in?”

“Why? Anes should know the truth.”

Despite their tense conversation, Anes calmly tucked her black bob behind her ear. The female employee’s eyes widened.

“Aren’t you curious, Anes? About this story.”

“Low performance, factional disputes… Isn’t that all? These things have been happening since I worked at the tower. Hearing it again now doesn’t surprise me.”

“Oh dear, it’s not just that anymore.”

The male employee sighed deeply.

“I don’t know why, but the 2nd Princess has returned to the capital. She will visit the Imperial Tower within a week.”

There was a moment of silence at those words.

“…The 2nd Princess herself is coming?”

“Yes. What do you think, Anes?”

“Hmm…”

In fact, Anes had never met the 2nd Princess, but she had heard countless stories about her.

“Even be careful of your breathing.”

This phrase always followed whenever the 2nd Princess was mentioned. She placed great importance on lineage and status, and even more on grace and decorum.

…The fate of those who crossed her was obvious.

The male employee sighed.

“The general opinion is that she wouldn’t suddenly care about the tower she neglected for years. Most think she’s planning to sell it.”

It was a plausible assumption.

The Imperial Tower belonged to the 2nd Princess, Hedera.

However, Hedera herself had little interest in the tower.

To be precise, she lost interest when the tower failed to reach its goal of ‘human magic capable of reaching dragons.’ That’s when the long neglect began.

The female employee shivered.

“Hmm… Do you think the 2nd Princess will like a new auditor who is a commoner with no experience? I really doubt it…”

“….”

Soon, both employees’ gazes turned to Anes.

“Anes. Just go somewhere else. If you were someone we didn’t know, we would have convinced you to work here somehow, but we’re telling you this because we know you. Why did you come here?”

“Exactly. Unless the new auditor is omnipotent like a god and solves everything, this place is doomed. It’s far from a dream job.”

In other words, this place had no future.

Click, click.

Anes spun the cube, recalling her memories.

Strict upbringing, graduating from the academy too early due to exceptional skills… In the end, the place where she spent the most time in her life was the Imperial Tower.

It was also the only place where Anes had grown attached.

Maybe that was why it felt strangely disappointing.

She hoped that the Imperial Tower wouldn’t fall.

“….”

But then she shook her head and signed the documents.

Personal feelings. Especially, expectations or hopes didn’t suit her, and she knew that well.

“…It doesn’t matter. I’ll just work here for a while and leave.”

An omnipotent auditor.

An auditor who would solve all the tower’s problems at once.

An auditor who would persuade the great 2nd Princess.

…There was no way such an auditor existed.

Imperial Tower’s Cafeteria.

Currently, people were lined up on either side, leaving the seat for Jaekiel empty. It wasn’t the structure of the space but the existence of two factions that caused this natural division.

“Well, I didn’t expect to see Widro here.”

Nox, the head of the Practical Faction, adjusted his glasses with his middle and ring fingers, smiling slightly.

“You were so confident about reserving the Sunset’s Breath, but what brings you to the cafeteria? Did your advanced age make you mistake the place?”

“Mind your own dignity. You looked like a lizard desperately cutting its tail when you hurriedly took out the scrolls on the street. Quite a few people saw that.”

The confrontation between the two sides was tense, as if it could snap at any moment.

Neither side showed any signs of backing down or averting their gaze.

Though they hated even breathing the same air, today, they had a reason to gather here, even abandoning all their prepared plans.

And that reason was, of course, just one thing.

Jaekiel’s seven-colored ice. They were captivated by it.

‘I’ve never seen anything like it, and it was truly remarkable.’

Nox and Widro had the same impression.

Jaekiel’s art on the street was that impressive. It was such a massive inspiration that even those who had spent a long time in the Imperial Tower couldn’t help but be intensely curious.

But then, Widro smiled.

“By the way, Nox, did you not notice at all?”

“What are you talking about?”

Widro’s smile deepened.

“The auditor, of course. He used magic by himself without relying on scrolls. It’s obvious he has no interest in paper scraps. It would be best for you to set aside your ambitions.”

Most of the Theoretical Faction had similar expressions to Widro.

They were confident that the new auditor would be a fitting talent for the Theoretical Faction, so they remained calm.

‘…Pathetic old men.’

But Nox also smiled leisurely.

The fact that the auditor used pure magic. Why didn’t they realize that Nox was interested precisely because of that?

‘No matter how excellent pure magic is, once you try it with scrolls a few times, you’ll be captivated by its convenience. The more exceptional the skill, the more likely they are to support the Practical Faction.’

Scrolls were like sponges.

A sponge that absorbs magic with all its might and releases it when squeezed. And Nox possessed the technology to perfectly absorb any magic.

He recalled the seven-colored ice.

If he could just capture that in a scroll and use it…?

The immense profit it would bring was unimaginable.

‘A tremendous opportunity. Truly tremendous!’

Bang.

Jaekiel appeared at that moment.

A head located so high up it required a long look.

Noble features beneath white hair, but his mouth, full of leisure, was chewing on a blade of grass.

Elegance and rebellion.

Two elements that should never coexist were astonishingly harmonized in him. Perhaps he was so unique that any ordinary descriptor would be futile.

Rustle.

Regardless of who held power in the tower, the auditor’s position was the highest. Everyone in the room stood up and greeted him in unison.

Many people, loud voices, overwhelmingly intense gazes—all attention was focused solely on Jaekiel.

An inexperienced auditor might have felt somewhat awkward…

“It’s surprising. At least you know how to greet properly.”

He was extremely at ease.

He acted as if the numerous respects directed at him were only natural, as if his blood contained the essence of superiority. He treated things that would burden an ordinary person with nonchalance.

Meanwhile, Widro wore a puzzled expression.

“…What do you mean by that?”

“I’ve just reviewed the performance of the past decade. It naturally made me wonder if you knew how to do anything at all.”

“….”

“Still, you’re pretty good at greetings. That’s surprising.”

Starting with a comment on their performance made everyone’s expressions harden. Widro bit his lip.

Puff.

The auditor exhaled smoke calmly and spoke.

“Anyway, it’s me. The auditor of the Imperial Tower. Jaekiel.”

Immediately, everyone gathered doubted their sense of smell.

“…?”

It was pungent but distinctly different from a regular cigarette. Inhaling it all at once would sting the tip of your nose with warm heat.

There was only one thing the clues pointed to.

‘…Sun Grass? Inside the Imperial Tower?’

Everyone’s expressions grew complicated, but Jaekiel remained indifferent. He calmly continued speaking.

“It’s a tiring position; there’s no need to drag it out. I’ve already made a few decisions before coming here. I’ll just relay those.”

“Wait.”

It was Widro who interrupted Jaekiel.

“A tiring position? It’s a wonderful position.”

The old man glanced around at the well-prepared food.

“Such good food is prepared because an esteemed guest visited the tower. It’s a good position, indeed.”

Nox adjusted his glasses and looked closely at Widro.

It meant, ‘What are you doing out of nowhere?’ but Widro ignored the implied meaning entirely.

“Wouldn’t a drink be fine before the formal proceedings begin? I’d like to receive a drink from the esteemed auditor.”

Widro was smiling, but no one thought it was sincere. His pride had been severely hurt by the blatant mention of their performance. His pride was stronger than anyone could imagine.

Already picking a fight? Nox sighed deeply, as if he couldn’t help it.

Meanwhile, Jaekiel chewed on the Sun Grass calmly.

“Well, go ahead. Will the others have some too?”

When he picked up the bottle and tilted it, just as the liquid was about to pour out, Widro infused magic into the glass through his fingertips. He surrounded the surface with a fine, transparent layer.

If the liquid touched it, the result would be obvious. The drink would splash everywhere like a fountain, making a mess. There couldn’t be a better way to embarrass someone in an official setting.

“Hahaha!”

Widro burst into hearty laughter.

“It seems our auditor isn’t used to esteemed positions. What will you do if you spill the drink everywhere? Your clothes are a mess!”

But immediately after, a huge sense of discomfort washed over him like a wave.

The gazes directed at him were strange. He only realized after looking at the floor. Not a single drop of spilled drink.

But there was nothing in the glass. Why?

Finally, his lost gaze turned to the bottle’s mouth.

“…!”

Widro was astonished.

It was frozen.

The spilled drops of liquid had turned into ice crystals, suspended in the air, defying gravity.

It was as if a moment from a fountain had been eternally preserved.

The old man’s gaze slowly turned to Jaekiel.

His lake-like blue eyes pierced through Widro.

“You seem to be familiar with esteemed positions, don’t you?”

Tock.

A drop melted and settled at the bottom of the glass.

“Perfect timing. I’d like you to set an example.”

And also.

Jaekiel’s words were not finished.

“Observe the etiquette of drinking. Don’t spill a single drop.”

His voice was as sharp as frost.

The old man thought.

The art of suspending frozen objects in the air, defying gravity, the skill was not only precise but immensely powerful. Widro couldn’t be sure if he could dislodge it even with his magic.

His mind went blank.

…This was not someone to challenge with pride. That was all.

Tock.

This time, a drop on the far right melted and fell.

Widro instinctively extended his arm quickly to catch it.

Tock. Tock. Tock.

And it continued.

The amiable atmosphere of pouring drinks was long gone.

The old man was desperately trying to catch the randomly falling drops of liquor.

Tock, tock. Tock, tock.

The falling speed gradually increased.

Tock, tock. Tock, tock. Tock, tock. Tock, tock.

“…!”

The range of falling drops widened.

Tock, tock. Tock, tock. Tock, tock. Tock, tock.

Just as sweat began to bead on Widro’s forehead.

Jaekiel leisurely looked around.

“Now, whose turn was it next?”

“….”

Everyone straightened their posture as if they had rehearsed it.

Here, where everyone’s interests were tangled.

Now, an absolute order began to emerge.