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The Imperial Knights.

Among the many Knights Orders across the continent, including City Knights and Wandering Knights, the Imperial Knights stood paramount.

They gathered proven knights and put them through rigorous training, producing elite warriors. It was no idle boast to say that one Imperial Knight could match an entire battalion of other knights.

However.

The Imperial Knights were known by another name—

—The Silent Knights.

They never utter unnecessary words.

And in their final moments, they left no last words.

Yet Valken was undeniably an Imperial Knight assigned to the Princess’ guard. For him to request to speak at an official gathering was, as the princess noted, truly rare.

But in other words, when he did speak, it was for a compelling reason.

To become the princess’s guard, one must survive countless trials even among the Imperial Knights. Only when other knights deem you superhuman could you earn the honor of protecting the princess.

So the voice speaking now wasn’t just that of a mere knight.

He was speaking as a superhuman who’d attained tremendous prestige.

Even as the Second Princess, Hedera had no reason to ignore him.

Valken first bowed his head respectfully.

“Forgive my impudence. I’m aware of my own improper behavior.”

“Go ahead and speak. I’ll listen.”

The observing mages gulped nervously.

Why had the guard knight suddenly stepped forward? Unlike the mages’ faces, which betrayed inexplicable anxiety, the Inspector Ezekiel remained remarkably composed.

He calmly exhaled a puff of sunweed smoke.

In truth, such situations were all too familiar to him.

Fame was troublesome, obscurity was frustrating.

Ezekiel belonged to the latter category.

Most of his lifelong missions required him to operate in secrecy, so he was no stranger to resistance.

— Who do you think you are?

— Can you take responsibility?

— Do you know who I am?

‘Too many to count.’

Ezekiel had lost track of the number of times people had looked down on him, demanding proof of his authority. To him, such things were merely annoyances, never true obstacles.

It was then that Valken continued speaking.

“Before the Second Princess makes her decision regarding the sale of the Magic Tower, there’s something I must urgently request.”

But Ezekiel immediately interjected.

“Surely it would suffice to make your request after hearing the decision. The princess likely arrived having already made up her mind.”

“…………….”

The knight’s piercing gaze turned towards Ezekiel from within his helmet. The hostility was unmistakable; though half of the Second Princess’s face was hidden behind a mask, a flicker of interest passed through her eyes.

Hedera slowly spoke, “Inspector, you seem confident you’ll hear the outcome you desire.”

Ezekiel didn’t even bother to answer her question.

He simply bowed slightly with a relaxed smile, as if confirming Hedera’s guess. It was an astounding display of confidence.

But then—

“Regardless of today’s decision, the Inspector needs to correct his attitude. How dare you be so disrespectful in the presence of the princess?”

Once again, it was Valken who spoke.

His eyes gleamed like those of a predator encountered in the dead of night. Yet Ezekiel met his gaze unflinchingly, as if the knight’s words were beneath him.

“I don’t care about manners. I only care about results.”

He spoke as if the Second Princess weren’t even present.

“Isn’t that better than an incompetent Inspector?”

“…How dare you.”

While Ezekiel’s words were a genuine question, Valken seemed to take them as a provocation. The knight placed his hand on his sword hilt as he looked to Hedera.

“Give me just 10 minutes for education. I’ll instill in this Magic Tower Inspector the proper etiquette for addressing the princess.”

However, much to Valken’s embarrassment, even Hedera seemed unconcerned with Ezekiel’s attitude.

The Second Princess simply waved her hand dismissively and said—

“Guard, state your request first.”

“…Understood.”

He had no choice. If he became agitated when the princess herself didn’t take issue, it would be overstepping. This made Valken even more anxious and uneasy.

…Hedera’s attitude towards Ezekiel was different.

He had never seen the princess treat anyone like this before.

The Imperial Knight took a deep breath, straightened his posture, and spoke—

“Your Highness, I believe there’s a clear distinction between an excellent individual and an excellent leader. The difference is significant.”

“Hmm.”

“Even if the Inspector is a talented mage, he hasn’t proven himself as a leader in this presentation. For the Imperial Magic Tower to achieve high results, wouldn’t everyone involved need to improve their skills?”

Everyone listened silently. The logic itself was sound.

“Many imperial citizens are suffering from the recent erosion phenomenon. If he’s truly an excellent Inspector, I’d like to see him quickly train skilled mages and show results.”

Hedera seemed to ponder for a moment; then, as if reaching a decision, she nodded.

“I’ll give the others a chance to speak as well. You don’t have to remain silent. Feel free to express your opinions.”

Immediately, Widro, the leader of the theoretical faction, stood up.

“You say to quickly train skilled mages and show results, but how long exactly are you talking about? Consider that the exchange meeting is coming up soon.”

“The imperial citizens in the neighboring region of Ruiple are suffering from magic beasts and mana as we speak. I believe it should be resolved within a week at most.”

“…A week? Be reasonable!”

“I’m confident I could train squires into knights in a week. Is this magic tower truly incapable of the same?”

At this point, Nox pushed up his glasses and interjected—

“Sir Knight, the Inspector has given tremendous motivation to the previously aimless mages of this tower. Isn’t that already an achievement in itself?”

“Even thieves can provide motivation. What matters are tangible results, not such emotions.”

“What…! Are you calling us thieves?”

“Given that you’ve received investment from tax money with zero results, perhaps calling you thieves is too generous. You’ve been legally robbing people all this time.”

“……………!”

The mages’ expressions began to fill with antipathy and unease. They had just begun to feel hope after seeing the presentation, but the guard was trying to take it all away again.

The problem was, his words were entirely correct.

Demanding proof of excellence as a leader rather than individual brilliance was logically sound.

But the mages were anxious. There was a world of difference between dreaming and achieving.

Could they reach the level of skill the Inspector had demonstrated? Could they arrive at an erosion-afflicted area and produce amazing results?

…And all within a week?

Results meant purifying infected areas.

Purification meant exterminating magic beasts and mana sources. Furthermore, stabilizing civilian life…

They were uneasy because they couldn’t guarantee any of it.

As the training grounds began to stir—

“Stop.”

—Hedera spoke; though she hadn’t lowered her mask or used her Lingual Magic, this alone was enough to quell the commotion.

“Valken has faithfully carried out his duties for many years, and the new Inspector’s presentation was impressive. I’ll give my opinion based on what I’ve heard so far.”

The princess’s eyes rolled towards Valken.

“I am a dragon blood bearer, a princess, and a Lingual Magic user… The weight of my words is immense. I decided to consider it for exactly one day, so I must make the decision about the sale now. The imperial guard knight wouldn’t dare object, would he?”

“How could I possibly defy you? I’ll follow whatever you decide.”

Hedera nodded.

“First, I won’t sell the magic tower. That’s my decision.”

“……………..!”

The mages’ eyes widened. Their expressions, previously full of worry and concern, now brimmed with joy.

However, the Second Princess hadn’t finished speaking.

“While the imperial guard’s argument has merit, it’s a proposal the Inspector would hesitate to accept given his tight schedule. There’s truly no benefit for him.”

“…………..”

“So let’s do this.”

Hedera slowly crossed one leg over the other; her alluring posture was beyond fitting.

“If the Inspector accepts the imperial guard’s proposal despite his tight schedule, I’ll partially open the Imperial Treasury. It should be an adequate reward for the Imperial Magic Tower.”

“…The Imperial Treasury?”

Agnes muttered involuntarily.

The Imperial Treasury, wasn’t it the place where incredible things slumbered?

“I’ll open the first floor and grant the Imperial Magic Tower whatever they desire from it. I’m a Lingual Magic wielder. I don’t lie.”

“The entire first floor…!”

The mages stirred.

Valken, on the other hand, remained calm. The Inspector wouldn’t set foot in the Imperial Treasury anyway. No, he wouldn’t even accept the proposal to prove himself.

The reason was simple. These people were incapable of it.

All eyes turned to Ezekiel simultaneously.

It was like a trap.

While not forced, participation came with a reward. At first glance, it might seem possible to avoid participating by forgoing the reward, but no one was foolish enough to think that way.

…The princess was showing enough interest to offer a reward. She was also expecting something. That was the key.

Refusing would disappoint the princess, which was a problem.

Accepting was a problem due to the impossibility of success.

…It was a trap. Everyone’s faces were filled with dismay.

After a long moment.

Ezekiel spoke.

“Well, I’m not inclined to accept.”

“…………..”

The mages nodded with difficulty.

It was the expected answer and the safe move. Considering the possibility of a spectacular failure if they tried, it would be far better to just slightly disappoint the princess.

“Hah.”

Just as Valken snorted as if he had predicted this, and as even Hedera was about to reluctantly accept—

“But since it’s a chance to obtain imperial treasures, let’s aim to achieve higher results than you, guard knight.”

“…………”

For a moment, everyone was speechless.

Valken parted his lips, doubting his own ears.

“…Higher results than my knights?”

“Yes.”

“─!”

Only then did everyone react as if struck by lightning.

Not only training the mages, not only achieving results in the Ruiple region…

But to surpass even the performance of Valken, a member of the Imperial Knights.

…Ezekiel had just boldly declared this.

In the midst of the frozen silence, with everyone stunned as if struck by lightning—

“Inspector, are you in your right mind?”

To the guard knight’s question, the man exhaled sunweed smoke.

And then.

He grinned widely, showing all his teeth.

“…I’ve never been in my right mind.”

His piercing blue gaze.

It had long since penetrated Valken’s helmet.