Chapter 88

Chapter 88

I Proposed While Drunk and Now the Princesses are Obsessed.

Episode 88: Execution (5).

The entire conference hall was engulfed in silence.

“…”

Even Seina, the young elder of the Blue Tower, remained silent.

‘Teddy’s underlings… they had an unusually high number of souls.’

They even performed combined attacks; even Seina couldn’t have guaranteed an easy victory. It would have been a battle fought at the risk of her life.

However, the Auditor of the Imperial Tower claimed victory far too easily, as if swatting a mere fly.

It didn’t even feel real.

It shouldn’t have happened. Losing a sense of reality at this critical moment with the lives of many magicians on the line was dangerous.

But what had happened before Seina felt surreal. She was convinced, again and again, that he was indeed worthy of being called a master.

“Snow Ghost…”

Seina muttered unconsciously, then quickly closed her lips, realizing the silence around her.

Jaekiel aligned more with the Snow Ghost’s principles than any ice magician Seina had ever seen.

Meanwhile, the thoughts of the Red Tower Master were not much different.

‘…Indeed.’

Something incomprehensible had happened, but there were moments in life when one had to quickly accept the incomprehensible, and this was one of those moments.

He was certainly no ordinary auditor.

More like a judge than an auditor.

Before discussing his magical prowess, it was clear that he was very familiar with this kind of situation. It was evidence that he had disciplined others countless times.

‘This is not the skill of someone who’s only judged others once or twice.’

The Red Tower Master quietly widened his eyes.

‘The Imperial Tower… They’ve been sharpening their swords in secret for ten years.’

The thought that they were building such strength behind their seemingly poor appearance sent chills down his spine. The Red Tower Master quickly made a decision.

“Everyone, step back from your positions.”

“Huh?”

“What do you mean, step back?”

The other tower masters’ eyes widened in surprise. Their faces were full of shock, as expected.

“Yes, I said let’s step back.”

“You mean move to the spectator seats?”

“We’ve prepared for this exchange for ten years…!”

The masters moving to the spectator seats didn’t just mean stepping back.

It also meant they were conceding the central position to allow the Imperial Tower to focus solely on discipline, effectively acknowledging that the Imperial Tower held the highest status.

It was only natural for the Purple and Green Towers to be taken aback.

Though they didn’t go to the extreme like the Black Tower, they had all strived for the top position.

Especially since the Red Tower, the most passionate among them, was the first to suggest stepping back.

Meanwhile, the Red Tower Master remained composed.

“It doesn’t matter how many years we’ve prepared. What’s important is whether we can continue to stay in the magical world. And the current Imperial Tower’s Auditor is…”

The Red Tower Master couldn’t continue his explanation and closed his mouth.

…How should he describe the Auditor?

There wasn’t an exact word that would describe him. He had never encountered an auditor like this before.

“Anyway, it’s best to leave the situation to the Imperial Tower and step back to observe. Any tower that interferes will surely face consequences.”

It was an unusual and surprising statement.

However, the other tower masters knew well that the Red Tower Master’s words weren’t just empty talk.

They were all well-versed in magic, which was why they were qualified to be representatives. Therefore, they couldn’t fail to grasp the Auditor’s martial prowess from what had just happened.

‘It was just a single attack.’

It was a precise, single strike, and he didn’t allow even one counterattack from his enemies who were attacking together.

It meant there was an overwhelming difference in skill between them.

They were all equally confused, but…

There was no disagreement on one fact.

“…He’s an exceptional magician.”

“The Imperial Tower has been sharpening their blade in secret.”

Finally, the Green Tower Master, who had been the calmest, spoke up.

“Very well. Let’s step back.”

“…”

She was famous for never going back on a decision once made, even with her eyes always closed. Everyone fell silent at the Green Tower Master’s words.

“Even fair competition requires that one remain part of the magical world. It’s clear which side currently holds the advantage.”

Just because Teddy Divine dies doesn’t mean the exchange ends immediately.

In other words, it meant they’d have to face that Auditor even after this.

It wasn’t hard to reach a conclusion.

The masters retreated to the spectator seats, leaving the center of the hall empty. They had decided to go along with the Imperial Tower’s lead.

Jaekiel quietly observed the retreating masters.

Was he irritated by their fickle attitude, swaying like reeds?

Not at all.

It was actually advantageous for Jaekiel, as they chose the more favorable side.

He was confident that the position he had gained through his superiority would never be taken from him.

The reason he scattered the scrolls first was simple.

The reason he waited for Teddy to summon and direct her creations was also straightforward.

‘Because I had to make sure they understood the situation first.’

It takes time for many to recognize and accept strength. That was the reason.

Jaekiel reflected on his previous life.

Every time he was assigned an assassination mission, he executed his targets with swift precision, yet strangely, his notoriety didn’t spread.

It wasn’t just because he kept his identity hidden.

─Didn’t they get caught off guard?

─They must have fallen for some dirty trick.

─Still spreading those baseless rumors….

People don’t believe what they haven’t seen with their own eyes.

Even when they do see it, they won’t believe if they don’t understand it.

It takes time to accept it.

Jaekiel, who had gone to great lengths to conceal his identity, understood well how to reveal himself. He just had to do the exact opposite.

He had to punish them slowly, meticulously.

So that everyone could witness Jaekiel’s achievements clearly, so that no one could dismiss them as mere rumors, and so that everyone would recognize the Imperial Tower’s authority.

Swish!

Jaekiel retrieved his ice spear.

Now, only Teddy remained.

Step. Step.

He closed the distance to Teddy Divine, the Black Tower Master.

“I gave you ten years.”

He spoke quietly.

“And this is all you prepared?”

“Oh~ Well, it couldn’t be helped. The previous, utterly incompetent Black Tower Master screwed everything up.”

Now that he mentioned it…

Teddy Divine wasn’t originally the Black Tower Master.

“…Where is the original Black Tower Master?”

It was a rather important matter to Jaekiel.

He needed to investigate each tower’s secret techniques as part of a deal with the Emperor. The former Black Tower Master was necessary for that.

“Why ask me? That person is a traitor who irresponsibly abandoned the Black Tower’s cause. Do I need to care about the whereabouts of such trash?”

Teddy, sweating coldly, still smirked.

She seemed about to make more mocking remarks, but…

Pwoosh!

Suddenly, a long ice spike pierced Teddy’s body, near her plump thigh.

“…!”

Teddy’s eyes widened in shock.

But the spike didn’t stop there.

Pwooooosh!

The spike branched out like a tree, and from those branches, more spikes sprouted, like wedges.

“Grrr! Aaaaargh!”

Teddy couldn’t withstand the pain and collapsed.

“Grrr! Grrrk Argh!!”

“It was obvious, so I didn’t bother warning you, but don’t answer so arrogantly. My patience isn’t deep.”

“Grrrrk…!”

It was pain that was unbearable in a clear state of mind.

Teddy, trembling, lifted her head to look at him.

She couldn’t understand his composure.

‘Wh-Why on earth?’

Setting aside his strength, didn’t she warn him that the tower itself was a ticking time bomb? So how could he be so confident?

“Imperial Tower Auditor, youuu…!”

Teddy’s jaw trembled as she spoke through the pain.

“Are you saying it’s fine if all the magicians here die? That it’s okay if everything blows up?”

Jaekiel didn’t respond.

“Ha… Haha… Hahahaha!”

Teddy then burst into laughter. Maybe her brain had fried, as she no longer felt the pain.

“Hahaha! Hahahahahaha!”

Teddy then pointed her index finger straight out.

“You…! They’ll all die because of you. Not anyone else, you! It’ll all blow up because you got involved!”

At the same time, she gathered all her remaining strength.

Teddy unleashed a black wave of energy.

Boom!

But.

1 second.

10 seconds.

30 seconds….

There was no explosion; nothing happened at all.

“Wh-What?”

Boom!

Teddy unleashed another wave, but the tower remained silent. The face of the Black Tower Master, who had just been laughing wildly, was now full of confusion.

“Wh-Why is this happening? Why is it just…?”

Boom! Boom! Boom!

She kept unleashing the energy waves.

Finally, a crack appeared in the wall.

Thud!

A corpse fell from the crack in the wall.

“Wh-Why isn’t it exploding…? Why…?”

Teddy crawled desperately, clawing at the corpse, trying to find out why the explosion didn’t happen.

“The mana core, the mana core…”

The moment she pulled out the mana core from the corpse.

Teddy felt it in that moment.

The cool sensation in her palm, the mana core was completely frozen without a single flaw.

“Frozen… It’s frozen…? The mana core… is frozen?”

Teddy’s face was filled with utter disbelief.

Her head slowly turned.

“Th-This is impossible…”

Slowly, very slowly.

Finally, she looked toward Jaekiel.

“All of them…? Every single mana core in all these corpses…?”

Jaekiel offered no explanation.

Instead, he simply threw an ice spear.

Thunk!

The blade landed in front of Teddy, who was now on her knees.

“Teddy Divine, commit suicide.”