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Originally, he was supposed to visit with Hedera, but circumstances had led him to arrive alone.

‘It seems the situation was quite serious.’

Hedera, being a Lingual Mage, rarely uttered falsehoods. The fact that she couldn’t join him now meant that the situation was extremely urgent.

The Imperial Treasury, a vault housing countless sacred artifacts or relics, wasn’t located within the palace as one might expect, but rather in a nearby mountain. This was because the mana contained within each relic was so vast that it required a specially treated location to contain them.

“It’s been a while,” Ezekiel muttered to himself as he chewed on a blade of sunweed.

Of course, the phrase “it’s been a while” was only half-true.

— Ezekiel, we recognize your exceptional abilities.

— This is a testament to our trust in you.

— Yes, but please, at least allow me to bring my team.

‘Come to think of it, I’ve never actually been inside.’

While he was familiar with the exterior, he had yet to set foot within the Treasury itself. Such was the gravity of this place. Even during his tenure as the leader of a secret organization, access had been forbidden—a clear indication of the extraordinary items contained within.

As he crossed the halfway point, he noticed soldiers; there were quite a few of them, a testament to the importance of the place.

As he approached, two soldiers stepped forward.

“State your profession, name, and purpose.”

“………………………”

Ezekiel was momentarily taken aback.

‘Hedera, just how urgent was your matter?’ he wondered.

It seemed unlikely that she would play such an ill-conceived prank, which meant she must not have had time to inform her subordinates of his arrival.

He found himself curious about the nature of her pressing business.

Regardless, he had no choice but to comply with the guard’s request.

“I am Ezekiel, Inspector of the Imperial Magic Tower.”

“An Inspector…!”

“What brings an Inspector here?”

The guards’ expressions softened noticeably.

The sordid history of the Imperial Magic Tower had not yet been made public. Therefore, the Inspector of the Imperial Magic Tower was still considered a high-ranking position among the people.

Ezekiel gestured towards the entrance with his chin. “I’m here to visit the Imperial Treasury.”

“Visit?”

“Yes, I have an appointment with the Second Imperial Princess.”

“Hmm…”

Whether it was the mention of entering the treasury or the reference to the princess that shocked them, the guards exchanged glances. Perhaps it was both. This interaction further underscored the sanctity of the place.

After a long pause, one guard asked sharply, “That thing in your mouth… is it a sunweed?”

“Indeed it is.”

And the soldiers’ eyes widened at his concise answer.

“…Are you planning to prove your identity with just words?”

Instead of answering, Ezekiel took out his golden pin.

This pin, worn by Magic Tower members when accepting yellow-grade missions, should have been sufficient proof of his identity.

However, the guards remained skeptical.

“Anyone who goes on a mission from the tower can wear this, can’t they? For an inspector…”

“He looks too young. Considering the average age of Inspectors, this doesn’t add up at all.”

“And why do you possess sunweed?”

The guards’ suspicious gazes hardened as they voiced their doubts one by one. Their suspicion was rapidly turning into certainty.​

Just then, a commanding voice rang out—

“Everyone, stand back.”

A figure emerged, pushing the soldiers back with a single gesture. It was the captain of the guard, with his imposing physique.

He glared at Ezekiel, eyes wide with suspicion.

Memories of the past suddenly flooded Ezekiel’s mind—

— Y-y-y-your Excellency Ezekiel, is that you!

— Oh my… I’m so sorry every time I see you…!

— It’s not a sacred artifact, but please accept this!

— Please, I insist! It’s a token of our appreciation!

There were times when he had retrieved stolen relics from the vault. Despite handling various tasks impeccably, the emperor never took out a relic for him, so the guard captain used to offer other items to Ezekiel as tokens of gratitude.

‘…The world has changed. It has changed a lot,’ Ezekiel thought, unconsciously clicking his tongue.

The current captain of the guard spoke—

“The movement of the Demon Realm has been erratic lately, and the value of relics has skyrocketed, so naturally, there are more people after them. Please don’t take offense.”

“Offense, you say.”

“The Imperial Treasury will remain here forever, never to be moved. Perhaps you could consider visiting again when you have something to prove yourself with?”

“No,” Ezekiel replied, tilting his head slightly, “It’s not about taking offense.”

It wasn’t about offense, but time.

Ezekiel’s minute was not equal to anyone else’s. With a predetermined short lifespan, he despised wasting time.

“…It’s about time.”

Whoosh!

As he spoke, Ezekiel released a wave of cold mana in the form of his aura. The chilling aura swept around in a circle; though not overly powerful, it was enough to demonstrate his inner strength.

Surprise spread across the guards’ faces.

“Such deep mana!”

“Could he really be an Inspector?”

The regular soldiers quickly backed down.

“How dare─!”

However, the captain of the guard burst out in anger.

“In this sacred place, the imperial treasury, you dare to unleash your magic without fear? How dare you!”

However, Ezekiel was dumbfounded and couldn’t help but chuckle, “…You’re saying the same thing as the old guards.”

He thought that there was no other being with as much endless potential as humans, but at the same time, there was no other being as predictable as humans.

This always happened when he displayed his abilities.

Earning trust was never easy.

Fear, caution, doubt.

It always started this way.

The other guards grew increasingly agitated.

“Not only does he have sunweed without permission, but he chews it without fear, and now he’s seeing hallucinations.”

“Impersonating an Inspector and invoking the Second Princess? That is a serious crime!”

The situation was escalating.

Protecting the imperial treasury was incredibly important, but the irony was that the important figures of the imperial family were not always around to oversee it.

This paradox had led to the current predicament.

But then, a soldier spoke up—

“If this scoundrel truly is an Inspector of the Imperial Magic Tower, isn’t that an even bigger problem? The Princess must have appointed him. It seems Her Highness’s judgment has severely deteriorated.”

Ezekiel stopped chewing the seaweed; this wasn’t just an insult directed at him.

It was a slight against Solana, who had appointed him.

“…You do realize that insulting the Princess is a grave offense, don’t you?”

His tone grew cold.

“Accept your punishment gracefully.”

But it wasn’t just his tone that changed.

The surrounding area began to be enveloped in a genuine chill.

~~••~~••~~

“Ugh… I’m so sleepy.”

Tether, the secretary to the Second Princess Hedera, was known for her drowsiness. The Second Princess couldn’t possibly handle all the mountains of work that piled up, so it was up to Tether to handle the menial tasks. It was no wonder she was tired.

As she stretched, Tether recalled recent events.

— The Dragon-people have come to the Imperial Palace.

— It’s about the Ascension Ceremony, so attendance is mandatory.

“Dragon-people visiting… It’s truly astonishing.”

The fact that dragon-people from the celestial realm were visiting the imperial palace in person made her realize that the ascension ceremony was not far off.

Hedera had rushed off to greet the dragon-people, but she didn’t forget to give Tether some instructions and advice.

— An Inspector will visit the Imperial Treasury.

— Receive him with the utmost courtesy.

— Also…

There were various details, but the essence was simple—

Treat the Inspector of the Imperial Magic Tower with the highest possible honor. Even provide a sacred artifact or relic.

“How strange. It’s truly a sight to behold!”

Despite having been Hedera’s secretary for a long time, it was not common for the second princess to give an order to treat someone with such extreme hospitality. No, it was the first time ever.

It was like hearing that the sun had risen in the night. Almost that surprising.

“Just who could this person be?”

…Did the person save the continent in a past life?

Or perhaps that person played a crucial role in the war against the demon realm?

Or could that person be the Princess’s secret lover?

It had to be something of that magnitude to make sense.

“Come on.”

Tether then burst out laughing. Even to her, it seemed like an incredible fantasy. But there was nothing like a wild imagination to wake her up from her sleep. She deliberately indulged in her fantasies as she made her way to the Imperial Treasury.

“Now that I think about it…”

The Second Princess had issued multiple warnings—

— If I hear that the Inspector was displeased…

— Tether, you’ll be held responsible.

— I’ll warn you once more, Tether. Keep this in mind.

Her demeanor had been even more severe than usual. At the time, Tether could only bow her head profusely, breaking out in a cold sweat.

…I woke up a bit late, but it should be fine, right?

Just as Tether had this thought…

“……………”

The entrance to the Imperial Treasury came into view.

“Huh?”

And the sight that greeted her eyes was shocking.

“Uh… uh-uh? Uuuuuuu!”

A massive man with white hair flowing to his shoulders stood before the entrance. In front of him, the soldiers were half-frozen, trembling violently.

“…………..”

The chill in the air was palpable, seeming to cut into one’s flesh just by looking.

Tether stood dumbfounded for a moment.

“Eek…”

Then she began to move towards the entrance.

“Eeeeeeeek!”

Her steps quickly turned into a sprint.

— End of Chapter —

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