Finally, it was the day of the exchange meeting presentation.
Swish—!
The group from the Imperial Magic Tower had finished all preparations, and they were now just heading toward the central spire, having left the outskirts of the Black Tower’s territory behind.
The process was super fast. All they had to do was ride the path created by Ezekiel’s ice.
Meanwhile, Agnes was looking at Ezekiel.
“…”
She was just looking, but he kept overlapping with his past self in her mind.
Perhaps it was because the fear was too vivid.
“Um, Inspector.”
“What?”
“There are a total of five princesses in the Empire, right?”
Ezekiel asked back.
“Why do you ask that all of a sudden?”
Instead of answering, he questioned her inquiry. It meant there was definitely something she was hinting at.
“I was just curious.”
“There are indeed five.”
In the past Agnes had seen five princesses saved, but ultimately one was taken by the Demon Lord. In other words, there had originally been six princesses.
“…”
Agnes continued to gaze at Ezekiel.
His current self was undoubtedly Ezekiel, but he felt like something else entirely. The difference from the passionate past was too great.
“Um, Inspector.”
“What?”
“Did you have dreams in the past, Inspector?”
“…”
Ezekiel glanced at Agnes.
“What’s up with that? Asking about something aside from your mission.”
Agnes had to come up with a good excuse.
It was difficult for her, as she had never really shared personal moments with anyone.
“…Isn’t the journey rather dull?”
Ultimately, this was the best excuse she could come up with.
“You could feel boredom? I didn’t know that.”
Ezekiel’s gaze returned to the front.
“…Dreams, I had a few earnest wishes here and there.”
Agnes quietly scrutinized his profile.
“But I lacked the ability to make those dreams a reality.”
Agnes focused on Ezekiel’s once-bright blue eyes, now dull and faded. She finally understood that it wasn’t alcohol or the passage of time that dulled them, but rather regret.
“Then, do you not have any dreams now?”
“Not many.”
Ezekiel replied matter-of-factly.
“Just a simple wish to live a little longer.”
If someone else said it, it would be an ordinary desire.
Yet Agnes recalled the scene she had witnessed.
“—It seems you’ve taken on the condition of a terminal illness, so it’s unlikely we’ll meet again.”
…Now she understood.
Just how earnest a wish that was for Ezekiel.
Just how desperate could it be?
Agnes unconsciously furrowed her brow.
“Have you never wanted to quit being an inspector?”
“Well…”
Ezekiel stated calmly.
“There were times, quite a few, I was annoyed.”
He was no longer sucking on a lollipop but chewing on Sunweed instead. Now that he had finished gathering all the information, there was no need to hide his identity anymore.
Phew—
A long puff of smoke escaped.
Agnes started to pay attention to the Sunweed.
She found it curious that he was munching on the amount that was typically used in minute quantities for medicinal purposes. It was unimaginable that it was for a terminal illness.
Just how poor was his condition?
No, how much longer could he even hold on?
“This pathetic secretary’s one of those things.”
Ezekiel wore a faint smile.
“I told you to signal me the moment it got serious, but you held on until the brink of death while bleeding from your nose. When else could I get as pathetic a secretary as you?”
His gaze finally landed on Agnes.
“Isn’t that right?”
…This was bad.
Agnes realized she could no longer look at Ezekiel as she did before. She had learned about the things he had gone through in the past.
Of course, she didn’t know everything about what he suffered in the past, but knowing just a portion was already too much.
No, she thought it was fortunate to only know part of it. She wasn’t sure she could face everything.
Agnes had lived each moment according to the manual.
She didn’t know what wasn’t written in the manual. She had no idea what emotion she should feel in this situation, how she should act, or even what she should say.
Should she forget?
If she could, she would have. It was no longer possible.
Then should she feel sympathy?
No, did she even have the right to?
No one would be able to understand Ezekiel’s heart. Only the person involved could understand the deep emotions crushed into the heart like ash.
…Still.
Agnes finally made her decision.
“Inspector.”
Her wish to help Ezekiel.
Not from a manual, but from deep within her heart.
“As long as there are things you can gain from this, will you stay in the inspector position until you obtain everything?”
“Well…”
Ezekiel mumbled.
Agnes felt that response sounded like there was nothing in her life she could be sure of.
“Well, that seems likely.”
“If so….”
Agnes jumped at Ezekiel’s words.
“If I faithfully carry out my duties as your secretary, will that help you achieve it?”
“Today, you’re acting quite uncharacteristically.”
He chewed the Sunweed while facing Agnes.
And a small smile flickered onto his face.
“What a sweet thing to say.”
It made Agnes tremble slightly.
“…”
Agnes unconsciously turned her head away.
Meeting Ezekiel’s smile was hard for her.
What kind of courage was needed to smile after suffering such great wounds? At least, she couldn’t know.
“Agnes, just do as you want.”
On the road heading to the Black Tower.
Several ideas clashed in Agnes’s mind.
Suddenly, she recalled his tremendous skills displayed at the Magic Tower.
Agnes, who thought most humans could be standardized into a manual, found Ezekiel impossible to confine within that category. He was always unpredictably a mage.
A talent discovered by chance, but it was simply too immense, and his abilities, capable of achieving near-impossible feats with ease.
Now that she knew his past, everything made sense.
Suddenly, the imagery of their first meeting came to mind.
Someone just emerging from drunken stupor, looking like an idle person.
When everything was in despair and no hope was left, all he had left as a companion was probably alcohol. Just staying alive was a miracle.
That image, too, she finally understood.
“What I want to do….”
Agnes repeated that phrase in her mind.
A man who hadn’t experienced anything he wanted to do advising her to do whatever she wanted. Was there a more painful thing than this?
“Oh! I see the spire!”
Tether exclaimed, pointing her finger.
Agnes also finally looked up.
The spire could be seen.
The heart of the Black Tower finally revealed itself.
“What I want to do.”
Now she thought she understood.
A suitable job, a normal life. Just being able to live a mundane life was enough for Agnes. She had never wished for anything grand.
Indeed, that’s why she never had any grand goals.
Perhaps now.
For the first time, she felt she might have one.
Agnes carefully chose her words.
“Let’s blow the Black Tower to smithereens.”
Supporting to ensure this mission’s success.
For now, that was what Agnes wanted to do.
“What? You can talk so rough too?”
Fortunately, Ezekiel laughed.
Ten minutes before the presentation began.
Hedera was gradually preparing to observe the event.
She was attending solely in the capacity of an observer. The principle that the exchange meeting was exclusive to mages was a tradition that even a princess could not easily break.
Hedera had no intention of breaking it either. Although she held the title of Tower Master, the truth was she had only been providing financial support for the tower.
“Please take a seat here.”
The guide directed Hedera to a special seat for dignitaries. It was a position from where one could overlook the conference hall far below.
“Good job. You can go now.”
Hedera quietly sent her attendant away.
Below, she could see the circular conference hall.
In fact, it was shaped more like a stadium, with the main figures holding the meeting surrounded by a thick audience.
The packed audience. There wasn’t even a place to step.
“…”
However, the structure didn’t matter.
The number of spectators didn’t matter.
What Hedera was concerned about was:
‘… The Imperial Magic Tower is still absent.’
All the tower officials had filled the conference room, but the Imperial Tower was still left vacant.
—The presentation will begin in five minutes.
—Representatives of each tower, please gather in the center.
Hedera took a quiet deep breath.
She believed that Ezekiel would definitely pull it off.
…And also to get an answer after the exchange meeting was over.
