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If the information they had obtained beforehand was correct, they should have been facing monsters and fiends, without a moment’s respite.

However, the Ruiple they actually experienced was the exact opposite.

“How’s it over there?”

“Absolutely nothing. We can’t even sense any mana.”

Valken’s expression slightly creased upon hearing the report.

‘Let alone fiends, we can’t even find low-level monsters.’

This was completely unexpected.

He had been concerned that they might encounter fiends stronger than anticipated, but to face a situation where not even low-level monsters appeared? It was beyond his expectations.

“Here’s another monster’s carcass!”

“Cause of death?”

“There are sword wounds that seem to have been inflicted by humans. It appears that Tirbi’s group dealt with this one as well.”

Valken did not like Tirbi.

He thought she was just a woman who was trying to join the Imperial Knights under the guise of cooperation, but it seemed that she was actually quite competent, unlike what he had initially thought.

A knight, wiping away sweat, asked, “Sir Valken, we’ve completed a full circle of Ruiple. What should we do now?”

“Hmm.”

Zero kills. In other words, zero achievements.

This was something Valken had never even imagined. In other words, it spoke volumes about the impressive security Tirbi had established.

‘Anyway, I have to have a better record than EEzekiel.’

While it was good news that Ruiple was a safe area, Valken hadn’t agreed to this wager solely for the safety of this place.

The Second Princess, Hedera, was a being who had to be perfect.

As his liege, she needed to remain flawless in the future as well. She had to pass the ascension ceremony of the Celestial Realm without a hitch, and become the pride of the Empire.

However.

Ezekiel was an existence that threatened that perfection.

A presence that kept creating cracks in Hedera’s psyche through means Valken couldn’t fathom. An obstacle. An impurity.

And so, eliminating Ezekiel was Valken’s destiny.

‘The moment I win this wager, he’ll be endlessly doubted for his qualifications as the Inspector. That will be the beginning.’

But what could that man be doing now?

“What is the Inspector currently doing?”

“It seems he’s simply enjoying a feast.”

“…What a fool. Does he think Ruiple is a place without eyes and ears? Word will surely spread.”

A pathetic story. Valken clicked his tongue in disgust.

“To think such a man is the Inspector. Listen, everyone!”

“Yes, Sir Valken.”

“We’ll take a short break and then resume our patrol. Mana tends to intensify at night. The situation may change once Ruiple is shrouded in darkness.”

“Yes, Sir Valken!”

It wouldn’t matter even if they failed to kill a single creature.

After all, Ezekiel’s achievement would also be zero, and upon returning to the Imperial capital, rumors would spread about how the Inspector of the Imperial Magic Tower neglected his duties to drink.

Just at that moment.

“I sense mana!”

Of course, Valken felt it too. He took a large step forward without even opening his mouth and charged towards the source.

“Is everyone keeping up?”

“Yes, sir!”

And a moment later, a look of joy spread across Valken’s face.

Grrrr─

In the distance, there was a low-level monster in the shape of a wild wolf.

Normally, he would have sighed at the prospect of dealing with such a low-level creature, but considering the current situation in Ruiple, this single beast represented a precious achievement.

“We must be the ones to deal with it!”

“Yes!”

And mana began to gather around Valken’s sword.

A moment later, the mana, taking the form of a rapid current, surged towards the low-level monster.

Kuuuguuuguuuguu!

‘… This bet, I will definitely win!’

Valken grinned widely, his face hidden behind his helmet.

~~••~~••~~

Deep within the estate, in a private chamber.

Gulp─

In this place where only the sound of alcohol sliding down throats existed.

Tirbi quietly glanced at the clock on the wall.

Two hours had already passed.

She looked at the Inspector of the Imperial Magic Tower. For two whole hours, Ezekiel had been doing nothing but emptying his glass.

— I’m only interested in you.

…Was that statement merely a simple confession?

Tirbi recalled Ezekiel’s gaze from two hours ago.

That piercing look that seemed to see through to her very soul – for a moment, she couldn’t help but wonder if her true identity had been exposed.

“…………..”

She took a sip from the icy glass to calm her nerves. Yes, in truth, she had nothing to worry about.

The materialistic Inspector had just aggressively expressed his desires, and he hadn’t even begun to uncover Tirbi’s true identity. That must be the case.

The disguise technique of high-level monsters was more sophisticated than one might think. Isn’t that the very reason they could skillfully hide among humans?

At that moment, Ezekiel shook the empty bottle.

“We’re out of alcohol.”

“Ah, yes! I’ll bring more right away!”

While fetching more alcohol, Tirbi casually asked, “Inspector, is there anything else you’d like?”

She said this in the hope that Ezekiel would open his heart, whether it was his body, money, or public office. The sooner she could deal with this, the better it would be for her.

“That’s fine.”

However, Ezekiel merely continued drinking the replenished alcohol. There was no conversation between the two, and time continued to pass steadily and relentlessly.

In fact, he seemed to have a strong tolerance for alcohol — drinking several bottles without showing any signs of intoxication.

‘…Maybe I should have spiked it with a sleeping drug?’

If she had known he would drink so trustingly, she would have mixed in a sleeping drug from the start. But what could she do now? It seemed too late to add anything at this point.

Tick. Tick. Tick.

Tick. Tick. Tick.

In the quiet chamber, the ticking of the clock’s second hand seemed loud.

Ezekiel continued to empty his glass at regular intervals and Tirbi felt as if she were sitting on pins and needles.

She very carefully broke the silence, “You really enjoy drinking, don’t you? I should have prepared some side dishes. I’ll go out and bring some quickly!”

“Sit down.”

“Pardon? Ah, yes!”

For some reason, she sat down again, feeling a sense of intimidation. Thinking about it, it was strange. She, a high-level fiend, was obeying the orders of a mere human.

…Perhaps she had become too accustomed to this role.

She was currently playing the part of a low-ranking adventurer, so it was natural to cater to the whims of the Inspector of the Imperial Magic Tower. Wasn’t it necessary for the greater cause?

Tirbi decided to let it go for now, thinking along those lines.

Tick. Tick. Tick.

Tick. Tick. Tick.

The second hand circled countless times.

A suffocating silence.

Finally, Tirbi came up with a plan.

She subtly moved her fingers hidden below.

Exactly ten seconds later, commotion erupted outside.

— M-Monsters? Monsters are here!

— There are fiends too!

The commotion grew in an instant, like a wildfire; there was also the sound of a table being overturned with a bang.

— There are too many of them!

— Lady Tirbi! Where is Lady Tirbi?

As the place descended into chaos due to the appearance of fiends and monsters, Tirbi rose from her seat as if she had been waiting for this moment.

“This is terrible! It seems the fiends have appeared! I must go out immediately to deal with them─!”

However.

“Deal with… them… Huh?”

The door wouldn’t open.

It was as solid as if the entire door had become part of the wall. She was bewildered when it didn’t budge even when she applied force.

Just in case, she turned around.

Gulp─

“…………..”

Still, Ezekiel continued to empty his glass with his back turned to Tirbi. Though she felt an inexplicable discomfort and wanted to leave quickly, something was off about the state of the chamber.

Tirbi tried to open the door several times.

“Why, why, why won’t this open! I’m in such a hurry…!”

Finally, the moment she kicked the door open with a bang—

—she realized it; the strange sensation of her foot slipping at the end of the impact.

It wasn’t locked. The door was frozen.

Ssssssss─

At the same time, the entire interior of the chamber began to turn white. It looked as if the building had been made of ice from the start — an extraordinarily high-level technique indeed.

‘…Ice?’

The only one who could manipulate ice here was—

The Inspector of the Imperial Magic Tower, Ezekiel.

“……….!”

She quickly pressed her back against the door. She opened her lips, trying to sound as calm as possible, “Inspector, is this to protect me?”

“Who knows.”

“I appreciate the thought, but I must go outside. I proclaimed myself an adventurer, so I should save at least one person. That is my mission.”

“…What an interesting story. It makes for good drinking conversation.”

Gulp─

Ezekiel emptied his glass.

At the same time, the floor beneath Tirbi’s feet began to freeze. Tirbi forced a gentle smile.

“Inspector, why are you really doing this? What do you want?”

However, there was no answer.

Could it be that he had seen through Tirbi’s true identity? In truth, even if he knew, it wouldn’t be a significant problem. However, what truly unnerved Tirbi was Ezekiel’s strength. The overwhelming feeling that even if she revealed her true colors right now, she couldn’t win.

“Tirbi, who’s your superior?”

“I’m a wandering adventurer. I don’t have a superior…”

“How are the executives of the demon realm doing these days?”

“…Pardon?”

Craaaaaack─!

The chamber froze over once more, even more intensely.

“I-I don’t know anything! What are you doing!”

A massive icicle pointed at Tirbi’s chin, and the freezing that had started from the ground had already engulfed her ankles.

“S-S-Stop this! There are fiends outside. We need to go out and save the residents right now─!”

The moment she shouted at the top of her lungs.

All the ice vanished in an instant.

Tirbi, who had been struggling to free her right foot, ended up hitting her own chin with her knee.

Thwack!

“Ugh…!”

It hurt.

“Awww…!”

Rubbing her painfully throbbing chin, she thought. Was he just testing her? She needed to get outside first…!

Just as she was about to burst through the door.

Clank─!

A piece of ice was thrown at Tirbi’s feet; with a cleanly polished surface, it was an ice mirror.

“…………..”

Tirbi unconsciously swallowed hard.

Her eyes reflected in the mirror were already purple. Her body had reacted to the threat before she could control it.

“…How long have you known?”

There was no point in hiding her identity anymore.

As Tirbi quietly gripped her greatsword—

“From the beginning.”

Ezekiel answered briefly.

“Tirbi.”

Clack─

The man finally set his glass down on the table.

 “We’ve talked about what I want.”

He slowly rose from his seat.

“I want your life.”

He was still facing away from her.

“You don’t have to prepare anything. I’ll take care of it myself.”

The man’s breath came out as white mist; like a frost dragon awakening from its lair.