Chapter 38

Chapter 38

I Proposed While Drunk and Now the Princesses are Obsessed.

Episode 38: Embers Of Regret (4).

Silence descended on the Grand Hall of the Imperial Tower.

There was no sound, but it was truly chaotic.

No, in fact, the chaos had started a week ago, but now it had reached its breaking point.

Thus began the silent cries from all around.

Countless telepathic messages began to burst forth.

─He wants to stick to the original agreement?

─Why stick to the original agreement? Did we win? Is he that confident?

─That can’t be! The Princess seemed to be trying to accommodate the Tower. Why is this happening?

─That’s exactly what I mean!

In the midst of this, someone made a plausible guess.

─Could it be because of pride?

It wasn’t an entirely unreasonable idea. Jaekiel had always exuded confidence since he appeared at the Tower.

─No, not because of pride…!

─We’re doomed.

─How long has it been since the cancellation of the sale…?

─We made the scale of the bet too big from the start. Competing against the Princess’s escort knight in performance!

Only Jaekiel himself knew his true feelings, but for the Tower’s magicians, it was utterly despairing news, as his defeat seemed almost certain.

Jaekiel stayed in Luiple for half a day, while Valcon stayed for a week. It was obvious without needing confirmation whose performance would be better.

Even with the Princess’s mercy and fortune on his side.

…He just threw it away? Just like that?

It was enough to drive them mad.

They couldn’t send telepathic messages to Jaekiel, so the magicians’ telepathic messages soon turned in another direction.

─Anes!

─Hey, Anes!

─Ms. Anes!

Of course, towards Anes, Jaekiel’s personal secretary.

─Anes, can’t you stop him?

─Isn’t this too much?

─There are limits to pride!

─At this point, just tell us the result.

─Say something, anything!

“….”

Anes quietly closed her eyes.

It felt like her head was going to explode.

There were so many telepathic messages pouring in that it felt like her ears were about to fall off.

─Anes! Do something!

─Our Auditor is out of his mind!

She understood their feelings.

If she had stayed at the Tower and not witnessed it herself in Luiple, she would have worried about the same thing. Most of what Jaekiel accomplished was hard to believe unless seen firsthand.

“….”

Finally, Anes opened her eyes.

─You think he’s out of his mind?

─Anes, do you think otherwise?

─No. It’s true he’s not in his right mind.

The telepathic messages pouring into Anes stopped all at once. They were all taken aback because they couldn’t understand her intentions.

─However.

In that quiet, Anes sent another telepathic message.

─The Auditor of this Tower is by no means incompetent.

Then, no more telepathic messages came back.

But.

Thinking about it, it seemed she had praised him too much.

It felt a bit embarrassing.

─…For the record, I don’t like that Auditor much.

Anes added quickly.

For a week, 2nd Princess Hedera worried endlessly.

She hadn’t been at ease since learning about Jaekiel’s health, and she felt even more guilty because she had suggested the bet. She was worried about what would happen if things went wrong.

─We received news that the Auditor has returned.

Sure enough, Jaekiel, who had gone to Luiple, returned in half a day. Had his health deteriorated in that time?

Returning after half a day was practically the same as leaving early.

Hedera was secretly convinced of Valcon’s victory. There was no need to think or say anything. Between someone who stayed in Luiple for a day and someone who stayed for a week, the results were obvious.

…She didn’t want to disadvantage Jaekiel.

To prevent Jaekiel from facing the worst situation, Hedera stayed up all night worrying and thinking.

She worried, worried, and worried again.

Fortunately, the pain of squeezing out thoughts didn’t last long. A brilliant idea popped into her head like a light bulb turning on.

‘Draw.’

Yes, let’s make it a draw.

Hedera was the 2nd Princess, after all, and she could open the first floor of the Royal Treasury fairly freely. Let’s make it a draw with rewards for both sides.

After that thought, her worries disappeared completely.

How could it not be?

There would be no losers, only two winners, and both sides would gain rather than lose. There was no reason to refuse, no matter how she thought about it.

With this method, Hedera’s plan would surely proceed as intended. There would be no errors. She was certain of that.

Just now, when Jaekiel entered the hall, Hedera felt a somewhat unfamiliar feeling. It couldn’t be helped.

There was no sense of defeat, just a calm gaze. No, perhaps it was a gaze indifferent to everything. He just chewed his Sun Grass as if he had no interest in anything.

She felt a sense of unease for the first time in a long while.

Was he perhaps tired of everything, becoming lethargic, and losing all motivation? She was anxious.

His disregard for his own health for the sake of Hedera’s happiness weighed heavily on her. Feeling guilty, she quickly offered an opportunity.

─Princess, that cannot be allowed!

She expected Valcon’s reaction, but it didn’t matter. As her escort knight, she could coax and calm him down sufficiently.

However.

The startling event happened right now.

Right in front of Hedera’s eyes. Brazenly.

“I would like it to proceed as originally agreed.”

There was a sound of something heavy crashing down.

Why was he answering like that? Hedera prided herself on being smart, and the opportunity she offered was carefully calculated.

But she never expected Jaekiel to blatantly refuse this offer.

Of course. Jaekiel’s health was in the worst condition.

While not a cure-all, the first floor of the Royal Treasury had many things that could help him. Didn’t he need that? Wasn’t this an opportunity to seize?

Or was he just saying something he didn’t mean, playing hard to get? Hedera’s eyes filled with doubt.

But she soon realized that wasn’t it.

What she saw in Jaekiel’s face was genuine sincerity. Regardless of what Hedera thought, Jaekiel simply chewed his Sun Grass, waiting for the announcement.

“….”

Should she turn the opportunity into an order? It was a choice she had to give up on. Even she thought it was unreasonable.

There was nothing more Hedera could do.

“…Alright.”

All that was left was to hear the results.

She only wondered how to deal with Jaekiel if he was heartbroken by this defeat.

“Yes. Then we will announce first.”

Valcon showed proper etiquette.

“We exterminated 104 low-grade monsters.”

It was a lower number than expected, causing everyone to be puzzled.

“There were the following circumstances in Luiple…”

Listening to Valcon’s additional explanation, it was as expected.

Luiple was vastly different from expectations, and the result of a week of thorough searching was that number.

“….”

Hedera was anxious.

Valcon’s dominance was something she had already predicted and expected. Even though she had thought it obvious from the beginning, Hedera couldn’t shake the feeling.

Would Jaekiel voluntarily step down from being the Auditor?

And would he disappear again?

She was consumed by such thoughts. Jaekiel seemed determined about something. She was somehow afraid to hear what decision he had made.

“Now it’s our turn.”

And finally, Jaekiel spoke.

Thud, Hedera’s heart trembled.

…If his defeat was certain, how should Hedera react? Should she show disappointment and lose interest as usual?

But knowing his circumstances, how could she do that? Should she comfort him and say it’s okay? But as someone who must be completely fair, was that allowed?

Thump, thump, thump…

Her heart’s trembling grew louder with the continuing worries.

But the confrontation didn’t last long. Jaekiel signaled to Anes, who took something out.

“….”

Silence flowed through the grand hall.

No one had yet identified what it was; they just stared at what Anes was holding up.

“….”

And after a moment.

By the time everyone visually confirmed its identity.

“Performance, one high-ranking demon eliminated.”

Jaekiel’s report was indeed simple.

“At the same time, the Luiple area was purified.”

Hedera’s assumption was wrong from the beginning.