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The Emperor addressed Ezekiel. The crisply bitten apple disappeared in an instant, his voice tinged with considerable interest.

“I’ve had far more challenging tasks than this.”

“Hmm.”

In the past, he had been forced to do impossibly difficult missions without offering any significant rewards. Naturally, it was the Emperor who had assigned such tasks.

The Emperor seemed to grasp the meaning immediately.

“You’ve grown bold enough to say such things now.”

“In any case, your opponent still has four chances to attack. Yet you’re willing to proceed?”

Ezekiel nodded without hesitation. In the first place, the situation itself was awkward, as he was deciding whether or not to accept the mission after hearing about it. In the past, it had been commonplace to be forced to accept missions before even knowing their contents.

“Yes.”

“Very well.”

Was he pleased with the answer? The Emperor sat down on a large boulder.

“Then let’s discuss the detailed conditions. Specifically, how you can sell this painting for the highest price possible.”

Ezekiel focused intently on the Emperor’s words. Even a single drop of Sun Elixir could make an enormous difference.

“The First Princess Ether is strong. I’ve invested considerable effort in her myself. She was even bathed in Sun Elixir as a child, if that gives you any idea.”

The world was indeed unfair; a single drop he desperately yearned for had once been someone else’s bathwater.

“Ezekiel, there’s a concept in this world called a worthy opponent.”

“Yes.”

“When levels are well-matched, it leads to good battles that leave experiences and create a desire to achieve. Everyone grows most significantly when they have a worthy opponent.”

“That is correct.”

“However… Ether is too strong. She has no worthy opponents.”

At some point, a chalice appeared in mid-air, its contents sloshing. The scent was familiar – it was apple wine again.

“I hope this fight will be a good experience for the First Princess. The more beneficial it is, the more I will raise the value of the painting.”

“I understand.”

If he wins with the painting completed, he will get at least one drop.

If he can even help Edea grow, even more.

Naturally, Ezekiel was aiming for more than the minimum.

The Emperor suddenly handed him a crystal ball.

“If you speak to the crystal ball, your words will appear as text on another crystal ball on the opposite side of the valley. In other words, you may communicate with each other until the duel is over.”

“Communicate…”

The Emperor used telekinesis to tend to the princesses.

“I’ll take care of the princesses. Do you have any questions?”

Ezekiel pondered.

Not only did he have to win and paint, but he also had to act as a tutor to help Ether grow. These were the conditions to obtain the maximum amount of Sun Elixir.

However, as before, he didn’t feel it was impossible.

“No questions. However…”

The man simply put the sunweed in his mouth as usual.

“You should prepare quite a lot of Sun Elixir, it seems.”

• • • ₪ • • •

Cullinan Valley.

Hooo—

Ether exhaled a thick plume of smoke from her cheroot, her gaze fixed on the opposite side of the valley where her opponent was.

Those who followed her gaze swallowed hard.

No matter how far away they were, there was one thing they could see very clearly. The other side was completely scorched.

“Scout Captain.”

From behind the First Princess, the scouts were observing the fight at a certain distance, and one of the members who had been watching silently carefully opened his mouth.

“As expected, the First Princess seems incredibly strong.”

“Naturally.”

“Just how powerful is she, I wonder?”

The Scout Captain hesitated for a moment before answering.

How strong is she? That was quite a difficult question.

“I don’t know exactly, even if I include the entire continent and the Demon Realm, but I think the First Princess would definitely be included if we were to select the five strongest people in the Empire.”

“Indeed!”

The scout nodded, seemingly impressed.

“The opponent on the other side of the valley must be dead, right?”

“There’s no way they could have survived.”

In reality, absolutes don’t exist in this world.

However, in the scouts’ eyes, the First Princess was strong enough to warrant the use of the word “absolute.” By their humble standards, it was impossible to accurately measure Ether’s power.

Meanwhile, First Princess Ether quietly furrowed her brow.

‘…A failure?’

She was certain. The bastard was still breathing.

‘But that one lacks a consistent identity.’

No matter how great the distance between the valley, Ether was confident in her ability to read her opponent’s presence, at least in terms of strength, if not in detail.

However, her current opponent lacked a consistent identity.

Or more precisely, they had far too many identities.

One moment she sensed the presence of a dead person, the next they were clearly alive, and their strength levels kept fluctuating.

‘Is it deliberate concealment, or their true nature?’

If it was intentional concealment, it would mean they were skilled, which was intriguing. If it was their natural state, it would be even more fascinating as she had never encountered such a being before.

Ether unconsciously bit down on her cheroot. Unable to withstand her bite force, the cheroot snapped in two.

“Oh my, I’ve bitten through it again.”

“I’ll prepare a new one immediately!”

An attendant moved swiftly.

It was Ether’s old habit to chew on thick cigarettes from time to time. She had picked up this habit from someone she admired, and it had become a part of her own.

Holding a new cigarette in her mouth, she felt a strange sense of appreciation.

“Hmm.”

Chewing on a cigarette, a habit that came out when she was excited.

‘Does this mean I’m looking forward to this duel?’

It was really strange.

She had not had a worthy opponent recently, and her fighting spirit had waned, but now it was somewhat rekindled.

Just then,

The crystal ball at her feet projected a window-like screen in mid-air.

「First Princess, not quite as impressive as I’d hoped.」

「Weren’t you aiming for the elixir?」

「Seems you’ll need to try a bit harder.」

Ether couldn’t help but smile.

Not because the cheap provocation was amusing.

But because there was an opponent who could speak so casually after receiving a blow that had overturned the valley; that brought her joy.

The First Princess kicked the crystal ball up with her toe and caught it.

“You bastard, it’s your turn. When are you going to attack?”

「I’ve checked your level and I don’t see the need.」

「Even if I took four more hits, it wouldn’t make a difference.」

“Oh?”

A smile played on Ether’s lips.

“For a bastard, you’re quite something.”

Ether was not a woman who took disrespect lightly. However, perhaps because she found her opponent’s audacity to be quite impressive, she felt a sense of delight instead.​

This was even better. An entertaining match was always welcome.

“You bastard. Then let’s do this.”

「Speak」

“Just defend yourself. I’m going to shoot you four times in a row.”

Ether took a breath before continuing, trying to calm her excitement. Her face was flushed and her mouth was sticky.

“If you can withstand it, I’ll surrender immediately.”

「Easy enough. Let’s go with that.」

Ether stretched her arm towards the sky.

As she slowly lowered her hand, a bow formed of powerful energy appeared. The air currents grew ominous.

“For a bastard, you know how to excite this noble body. Consider it an honor; none of my recent expeditions have stirred me like this.”

Ether eagerly nocked an arrow to her bowstring.

It was really strange.

This was her first encounter with this opponent; she didn’t even know their name or appearance. Yet they seemed to understand exactly how to please Ether.

「You’re too easily aroused. Easy women aren’t appealing.」

“Easy woman?”

KWAAAAAAAA—!

A sound that tore through the atmosphere erupted. An arrow of light shot forth, threatening to devour the Dominen Valley.

KWAAAAANG—!

The light arrow plunged into the valley once, splitting into countless fragments, then exploded again; the explosions seemed endless.

BOOM─! BOOM─! BOOM─!

Ether quietly dusted off her hands.

“Insolent words. This body already has a Master.”

As she was about to turn away without hesitation─

「Three shots left, then?」

“…….?”

「You’re still relaxed.」

“Hmm?”

Ether raised an eyebrow as she looked at the crystal ball.

This was quite unexpected.

Her second shot was designed to produce numerous residual explosions. Not only for sheer power but to instill fear in the recipient.

Yet the opponent showed no fear.

…If anything, they seemed to be waiting for the next strike.

“You’re a peculiar one.”

Ether tightened her grip on the bow.

The opponent’s presence remained erratic, but its intensity had weakened compared to earlier. A sign of impact.

“It seems you can alter your presence. If you had played dead, you might have at least saved your life.”

「You should have given it your all just now.」

「You’ll regret holding back.」

“Perhaps you’re not just a bastard after all. You’ve been promoted to a toy.”

Something stirred in Ether’s heart.

‘It’s been so long since I felt this. This is surely…’

Fighting spirit.

Fighting spirit was an emotion that was basically born when there was no guarantee of victory. Could it be that Ether was not sure of victory in this fight?

‘That’s impossible.’

She never intended to lose from the start.

‘I am who I am. The First Princess. Ether.’

With that thought, Ether fired another energy arrow. This time, two simultaneously.

TING─!

But strangely, their trajectory bent; the arrows that could have devastated the valley soared skyward, as if to make a point.

Ether’s eyebrows twitched significantly.

‘They deflected it?’

Ether’s light arrows, two of them no less?

She had imbued them with an enormous amount of energy. If there had been even a slight error in the defensive barrier, the entire valley would have been pierced through. It was truly a remarkable feat.

As the creator of the light arrows, the First Princess understood better than anyone. This opponent was no ordinary being.

“You toy, you’re more than I thought.”

Ether’s energy surged.

「Again, you didn’t give it your all? How pathetic.」

“Very well. I’ll show you my full power as you wish.”

In an instant, Ether’s bow swelled with immense energy. It grew several times larger, transforming into a colossal ballista.

Ether loaded an arrow the size of three carriages.

“Make sure you survive. As soon as this duel ends, I’ll personally come to see your face.”

• • • ₪ • • •

Dominen Valley.

No, this place could no longer be called a valley.

Dominen Ruins.

「Very well. I’ll show you my full power as you wish.」

“…………..”

Ezekiel clenched five sunweed leaves between his teeth.

‘This is insane. She’s become far stronger than before.’

The sheer magnitude of Ether’s power was causing extreme fatigue. Without the sunweed, he would have lost consciousness long ago.

「Make sure you survive. As soon as this duel ends, I’ll personally come to see your face.」

…At this rate, wouldn’t drinking the Sun Elixir barely break even?

When someone as hot as Ether says “This body already has a Master” – you are bound to feel something.