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The temple located within the Imperial Palace was quieter than ever before.

It was a rather unusual sight considering that it was usually crowded with visitors. This place was originally a place where people’s footsteps never stopped.

It was because the princess herself had taken the initiative to control the entry and exit.

“What on earth is happening? Access being restricted?”

“Both the First and Third Princesses are inside, no less.”

“There are rumors that the 1st Princess was holding a man in her arms…”

Since it was a duel that the emperor had secretly arranged, naturally no one knew the details of the story. However, people tend to find pleasure in discussing uncertainties.

Everyone began eagerly voicing their own opinions.

However, there was one topic that overlapped more than others.

It was a story about a single man.

“I heard that the man she was holding was the inspector of the Imperial Magic Tower. Apparently, it’s quite certain.”

“How could that be? There is no one as ruthless as the 1st Princess. How could such a person hold someone in her arms and take care of them!”

“Rather than that, the inspector’s connections and abilities are amazing. Didn’t he also help the 2nd Princess decipher the ancient dragon language recently?”

This was a man who had not only subdued the Imperial Treasury’s elemental stones and emerged victorious in a duel with a dragon-people, but also assisted in deciphering ancient dragon language.

Any one of these feats would be remarkable, but he had accomplished three. An already central figure of discussion was now reportedly seen in the First Princess’s arms. It was bound to cause significant ripples within the Imperial family.

It was time to admit it.

It was also an irresistible trend.

Ezekiel Hound was becoming famous.

• • • ₪ • • •

The innermost room of the temple.

“…….….”

The woman habitually brought a thick cigarette to her lips, but realizing she was in an infirmary room, she abruptly snapped it in half.

She was a woman like a wolf from the snowfield.

The Empire’s First Imperial Princess, Ether.

Her silver hair cascaded over her shoulders; her demeanor was as deflated as if she’d been drenched in rain, and her golden eyes were uncharacteristically filled with worry.

Looking down at the man lying on the bed, Ether’s emotions were indescribably complex.

“…I deeply regret my responsibility in this.”

If she had accurately gauged her opponent, or at the very least properly managed the scout unit, things might not have turned out so disastrously.

Of course, it wasn’t entirely Ether’s fault, but she couldn’t help blaming herself out of regret.

Still, fortunately, it seemed that the Sun God was not completely abandoning Ether if He truly existed.

Ezekiel, his breath was still in him.

This man who had been Ether’s Master, who for a long time had been her reason for self-motivation, who had directly influenced most of her current habits…

It was simply heartbreaking to see such a man bedridden.

“………….”

However, another thing deeply troubled Ether.

‘His energy.’

Yes, she was concerned about the energy that Ezekiel’s body held.

It wasn’t like this when she last saw him as a child, but now Ezekiel’s body was extremely cold and out of balance. To the point where his whole body was in danger.

The moment Ether reached out her hand to his forehead.

“Don’t touch him.”

A sharp voice came from behind. Naturally, the First Princess’s hand stopped in mid-air.

“He’s exhausted all his mana, and in that state, his body was pierced by arrows.”

“……………..”

“It’s already a catastrophic injury, but that’s not all. The cold is seeping into his wounds at an alarming rate.”

Suddenly, a woman so radiant appeared that the stark white hospital room seemed to take on a yellow hue.

The Third Imperial Princess, Solana.

If twilight or a sunflower were to take human form, would it look like this? Yet Solana’s expression currently lacked any trace of radiance.

“What do you think would happen if hands vibrating with energy touched a body as fragile as glass? It would shatter. Was that intentional? Did you mistake this for the continuation of your duel?”

Her face bore no smile.

It was an extremely rare serious expression.

Ether quietly withdrew her hand.

“To say it’s a miracle that he survived… I’m not even sure if I dare utter such words.”

“…………….”

“While I’m infinitely relieved and overjoyed that Master survived, the fact is that because he survived, he’s now enduring tremendous pain.”

Ether silently snapped the cigarette with her fingers.

Solana made no attempt to hide her resentment towards Ether, and Ether was well aware of it. Normally, she would have certainly taken issue with such an attitude.

But today, she didn’t bother.

More precisely, she had no time for it.

She was so worried about Ezekiel that she didn’t have the time to care about anything else. She just kept silent and looked at the bed.

The First Princess did, however, ask a different question.

“…Can you heal him?”

“I’ll use all the elixirs promised as rewards for the duel, but there’s something you should know.” Solana heaved a deep sigh, “I’ve been regularly monitoring Master’s health all this time. But not once have I successfully treated him.”

“What?”

“To be precise, I’ve never succeeded in healing him. Even with my holy power, it’s impossible. Just maintaining his current state was the best outcome. But now, but now…” Solana bit her lower lip hard, “…He’s suffered such a grave, critical injury this time.”

She meant the chances were slim.

“Without Sun Elixir, it will be difficult.”

After uttering those words, Solana pulled the priest’s hood over her head. It seemed she judged her expression to be completely unmanageable.​

No one in the empire would have imagined that Solana could wear such an expression or be in such anguish. Even Ether found her countenance unfamiliar.

After a long pause, the First Princess spoke. “I will discuss the matter of the Sun Elixir with His Majesty the Emperor. He cannot be absolved of responsibility for this incident.”

“Of course not!” Solana exclaimed, then startled herself; her tone had been unexpectedly sharp, even to her own ears. She quickly apologized. “I’m sorry. I got carried away. This situation isn’t solely your fault, First Princess.” Her sun-like eyes slowly turned to Ezekiel’s face on the bed. “Ah, why have I come to harbor so much resentment lately?” Solana muttered coldly.

Ether found it intriguing. The once carefree and naive girl had now become capable of such emotions.

“Anyway, First Princess, your energy is too strong. The fact that you are here is itself a threat, so please wait outside for a while. I will call you later.”

It was the strength she had cultivated to protect Ezekiel, but it was ironic that she couldn’t get close to him because of that strength. Ether rose from her seat with a complicated heart.

“……………”

As she did so, she suddenly felt something odd. ‘My energy shouldn’t be harmful at all.’

Ether was not only sensitive to energy but she was also adept at controlling it. In other words, she had been carefully controlling it so that it would not harm Ezekiel.

She observed the Third Princess once more.

“………….”

Her demeanor was not that of a priestess. Rather than the benevolence of a Saintess, she appeared every bit a woman deeply in love with Ezekiel.

Could she be trying to monopolize him?

“…Hey, you’re definitely going to cure him, right?”

“Of course. I am a priestess, after all.” Solana replied, her face now a mask of serenity.

Ether stared at Solana intently but couldn’t shake off her unease as she headed for the exit.

Despite her suspicions, she couldn’t press further. After all, Solana was currently the most capable of treating the man.

Phew—

Once outside the temple, Ether lit a cigarette.

She couldn’t quite grasp how the treatment would progress or what she should say to Ezekiel afterward.

Just then, a voice filled with shock and surprise rang out. “What on earth happened?!”

Ether turned her gaze and saw Hedera arriving in a hurry.

“The Inspector, what happened to the Inspector?” she demanded.

“Well…”

“Hurry up!”

Ether remained silent for a moment. It was a difficult situation to explain.

“Never mind, I’ll see for myself,” Hedera said, about to brush past Ether.

At that moment, one of her attendants called out urgently, “Princess Hedera!”

Hedera’s face contorted with frustration. “Talk to me later. Right now…”

“The Imperial Magic Tower!”

Those words stopped Hedera in her tracks.

“An envoy from the Black Magic Tower has visited the Imperial Tower. They’re looking for the Inspector. What should we do?”

“What?”

“To be precise, they say there’s an exchange meeting in exactly two days. If the Inspector doesn’t show up, they’ll proceed with the meeting without the Imperial Magic Tower!”

“Exchange meeting? Come to think of it, the meeting is…”

Hedera’s pupils trembled violently.

The Imperial Magic Tower. The tower Ezekiel had painstakingly built for Hedera. And now, just before the exchange meeting, this accident had occurred. It was the worst possible news for the Second Princess.

Had Ezekiel done anything wrong? Not at all.

Was Ezekiel at fault in any way? Not at all.

The one thing Ezekiel had hoped for, without any selfish motives, was for the Imperial Magic Tower to prosper. And right now, the prosperity of the Imperial Magic Tower was now in jeopardy.

“No…” Hedera stumbled, feeling dizzy.

The situation had suddenly become extremely urgent.