Chapter 176

Chapter 176

I Proposed While Drunk and Now the Princesses are Obsessed.

Episode 176: 0th Princess, Reunion, Forced Marriage (51)

A thunderous piece of news struck Jaekiel.

Akne was found with her upper body pierced through.

The temple inside the Palace, the infirmary.

“…”

Jaekiel’s heart was troubled as he waited for the results. The infirmary was far from infallible. He couldn’t guarantee Akne’s safety at all.

Moreover, Akne was a demon.

This was a place that used divine power for healing, but that could act as poison for Akne. His anxiety grew every second.

Bang.

At that moment, the Third Princess, Solana, appeared, overseeing Akne’s treatment.

Jaekiel sprang up from his seat, his face asking the question, but Solana shook her head.

“…It’s far too serious.”

There was no white lie; he had to face the truth right away. Jaekiel bit his lip.

“Her upper body has been completely pierced through. All her organs are damaged, and the magic is tangled, ready to explode at any moment. The only thing intact is her heart…”

Solana’s expression as she continued speaking was grim.

“It’s an unbelievably cruel method. It seems like they deliberately left only her heart intact to make her die slowly and painfully.”

Soon, a note, soaked in blood, was handed to Jaekiel.

“It’s the note that was left by the Spider Goddess’s side.”

He quickly looked at its contents.

[Based on the agreement with the Emperor, the life of the Spider Goddess has been taken, and her death will serve as a lasting example. There is no happiness for betrayers of the Demon Realm.]

“This is…”

“Yes. It’s from the Demon Lord.”

At the bottom corner of the note, Solana’s gaze landed on the Demon Lord’s symbol. It was undoubtedly a handwritten letter.

‘An agreement with the Emperor?’

Jaekiel suddenly felt a sense of dizziness.

He had been anxious since hearing that the Emperor had entered negotiations with the Demon Lord, but he never expected something like this to actually happen.

“Ha…”

He exhaled deeply, trying to calm his mind, but no matter how many times he did it, it wasn’t easy.

Right, questioning the Emperor would come later. First, he needed to save Akne.

“Is there no way to save her?”

“It’s not entirely hopeless. The most important part of a demon’s body, the heart, is still relatively intact, and there are many extraordinary creatures in the world.”

Solana shook her head.

“But that’s only possible in theory. I think it’s best to just let her go.”

“I must save her.”

Jaekiel spoke through clenched teeth, and Solana’s golden eyes stared at him silently.

“Excuse me, Teacher, I’ve been wondering.”

Solana cautiously asked.

“If the letter from the Demon Lord is true, then His Majesty, the Emperor, made a very rational decision. I’ve taken care of her because of your request… but why exactly do you want to save her?”

A look of doubt filled her face.

It wasn’t distrust, but more concern, as she wondered if Jaekiel had been affected by the demon’s magic.

“Sigh…”

Jaekiel sighed softly.

Well, Solana’s feelings were understandable.

From a human perspective, Akne was just a demon. She had killed countless humans and posed a threat to the peace of the continent. That was how she would be perceived.

The Emperor willingly gave the right to execute traitors to prevent a war between the Demon Realm and the continent.

The Emperor must have thought it was the best decision—eliminate the demons and ensure peace on the continent.

Jaekiel didn’t think the Emperor’s judgment was entirely unfounded. He just hated the fact that Akne had been discarded so easily, twice.

“Teacher, I’d like an answer. I’m more worried about you than about the demon. Why do you keep acting like you’re protecting her–”

“Akne is the Empire’s Zeroth Princess.”

Jaekiel interrupted Solana, speaking firmly.

“She was a princess abandoned for a treaty between the Demon Realm and the continent long ago. That’s why I must save her.”

Jaekiel explained everything in detail after that.

“…!”

Naturally, shock spread across Solana’s face.

What happened in the past couldn’t be undone, but Jaekiel had set a goal to slowly reform Akne going forward.

However, this, too, collapsed right before his eyes.

For the same reason, due to the agreement between the Emperor and the Demon Lord.

Solana seemed deeply shocked, her lips trembling.

“This is impossible. She had completely turned into a demon, and I couldn’t recognize her at all. To be abandoned twice by the continent? This is…!”

“I must meet the Emperor right away.”

Jaekiel stated decisively. He felt like he needed to confront the Emperor immediately to ask some questions.

However, Solana quietly shook her head.

“The Emperor has said that His Majesty will be unavailable for an audience for a while. He’s very busy. Even if you go to the Audience Room, you won’t be able to see him…”

Solana, still speaking, quietly clasped her hands together.

“How could this happen…? It’s so pitiful. To be born as a princess and abandoned twice…!”

But she couldn’t finish her sentence.

In a situation where nothing could be done, speaking only made things feel more miserable. There was no solution.

“I must save her.”

“I’ll try my best.”

Unlike before, Solana nodded her head.

“While I can’t say the Emperor’s decision was completely wrong, I believe that, separately, the happiness of the Zeroth Princess must also be guaranteed. I’ll do my best.”

But the problem was how to do it.

“How, in the world, can we save Akne?”

As the silence stretched on, at one point…

“Oh, come to think of it.”

Solana took something else from her cloak. This time, it was a map, soaked with blood, not a note.

“In addition to the letter left by the Demon Lord, this is a paper that the Spider Goddess was carrying. I’m not sure what it means… Do you know anything about it?”

“…”

Jaekiel immediately fell silent as he looked at the map.

There was no doubt. It was the location of Han Shin’s remnants.

“This is information gathered for me.”

Jaekiel explained in a soft voice.

He explained what the map was, and how Akne had been such a great help.

The more the story continued, the more sorrow was evident on Solana’s face, which she couldn’t hide.

“I now understand why you’ve been trying to save her—her birth as the Zeroth Princess, her tragic life, her assistance to you… I want to find a way to help her too…”

It was then that Solana mumbled.

“Huh?”

Suddenly, her eyes widened in realization.

“Teacher, your next mission is to punish the Purple Tower, right?”

“Yes.”

“The solution might lie there.”

The Princess continued, her tone urgent.

“The Purple Tower is specialized in combat, right? Physical power is important in battle, but it’s not enough. Information is crucial.”

“So?”

“I’ve heard that the Purple Tower has someone capable of forcibly healing demon prisoners to extract information from them. It’s certain.”

“…”

Jaekiel’s expression became slightly blank.

A spark of hope began to grow in his heart.

“The Purple Tower tortures demons to an unimaginable extent. If the demon doesn’t give useful information, they’re forced to heal and then tortured again.”

Solana continued speaking calmly.

“If they have such powerful healing abilities, it will definitely work on the Spider Goddess.”

“Definitely…”

“Although there are many things I’ll need to question the Emperor about, the only way to save the Spider Goddess right now is this. We take them while punishing the Purple Tower.”

Jaekiel quietly nodded.

Even if he held the Emperor responsible after Akne’s death, the dead would not come back.

He had to do the best he could with what he could do now, and the opportunity had aligned. The answer was in the Purple Tower.

“Thank you, Solana.”

Jaekiel suddenly gave Solana a tight hug.

“T-T-T-Teacher…?”

Leaving Solana, trembling as if malfunctioning, behind.

Jaekiel made a decision.

And then, he suddenly thought.

A clash with the Emperor was inevitable.

The next day, the Imperial Magic Tower.

A large piece of paper was conspicuously posted. It was an official document written by none other than the Auditor, Jaekiel.

It had been a long time since such a large official document was posted publicly, so the magicians of the Imperial Tower gathered in response.

“Finally, it’s starting in earnest…”

“Only one person is being dispatched? That’s unbelievable.”

“The number doesn’t matter. You know how capable the Auditor is. If anything, this just makes things more exciting.”

The contents of the notice were strikingly simple.

Yet, at the same time, shockingly bold.

[In accordance with the judgment upon the Purple Tower, the following individual is hereby dispatched.]

Dispatched Individual: One.

Auditor: Jaekiel.