Chapter 102: Wow, Rewards Pour In Aplenty! (2)
<b>? Chapter 102 – Wow, Rewards Pour In Aplenty! (2) ?</b>
<b>「Trantor – Creator」</b>
<b>??????????</b><hr>
“Why… Why would she even create such a check?”
Ezekiel muttered, bewildered. Although his thoughts were filled with concern, the scribe interpreted it as humility.
“Hahaha! There’s no need to be so modest, Inspector! You’ve earned it!”
“That’s not…”
He trailed off, unable to articte his true feelings.
This wasn’t something he could easily confide in anyone.He let out a sigh, running a hand over his face.
The time check.
To Ezekiel, it felt like a ticking time bomb. The problem was that there was no way to defuse it, and he would have to set it off eventually.
He asked the scribe once more.
“So, regardless of how I choose to use this Time Check, all the Princesses will be informed?”
“Yes, Inspector. Those were the conditions set forth for its issuance. There’s nothing we can do about it.”
“And this was the Second Princess’s idea?”
The head scribe nodded with a smile.
“The Second Princess was the most fervent supporter of this measure; that’s why it’s beenmunicated this way.”
“……………”
It was obvious why she’d been so enthusiastic.
She was confident that she would be the chosen one.
He lit a sunweed, taking a long drag, his mind racing. A conversation with Hedera shed through his mind.
<b>— Inspector, you have to give me an answer when you return.</b>
‘And this is how she chose to force my hand…’
Not only did she intend for Ezekiel to use the cheque on her, but she also nned to unt it to the other princesses.
While he could understand her intentions…
‘The other princesses won’t sit idly by.’
Starting with this one cheque, it would undoubtedly end in ashes. He tried to imagine the ensuing chaos.
…He quickly abandoned the thought, scared of what he envisioned.
The best he could do was ask the scribe one more question.
“Can I take my time using this cheque?”
“Of course.”
That was reassuring.
Between his dealings with the Emperor and his duties as the Inspector of the Imperial Magic Tower, he was busy. He figured he could use the excuse of having no time to use the check for quite a while.
Or so he thought.
“Please use it by the end of this week.”
“…This week?”
There truly was no escape.
? ? ? ? ? ? ?
The next day…
While the Imperial Magic Tower mages departed straight for the Imperial capital, Ezekiel’s party lingered at the edge of the ck Territory.
Stealing secret techniques…
Tracking down the whereabouts of the ck Tower Master …
That was his objective — to earn the Sun Elixir.
“Wow… this is fascinating…”
“Incredible. Five hours with an Imperial Princess?”
Currently, Seina, Tether, and Agnes were apanying Ezekiel, everyone marveling at the time cheque he held.
“I want to see it up close!”
“Oh my? Why are you gripping it so tightly?”
Ezekiel quietly observed the scene, thinking inwardly.
‘If only they could identally tear it.’
But he quickly realized it was a futile thought.
‘…Actually, it wouldn’t make a difference, would it?’
<i>Would the cheque be invalidated if ripped? </i>No, it would likely be reissued as an indestructible steel cheque.
Seina’s eyes sparkled as she spoke.
“To receive something like this from the imperial family, truly, Master, you are the treasure of Ice Magic. Congrattions.”
“…Thanks.”
“Hm? You don’t seem very happy.”n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Ezekiel merely waved his hand lightly, indicating she shouldn’t worry.
Instead, he asked about something else.
“There was no need for you toe along.”
“Oh, but it’s a joyful asion, isn’t it? Let’s celebrate together.”
Seina was an Elder as kind as she was wise. She had volunteered to join this outing and had not requested a share of the credit.
Agnes and Tether looked at the two of them in amazement.
“…It’s incredible that you have an Elder of the Green Tower as your disciple.”
“Indeed.”
Amid this atmosphere, they continued walking until they reached the edge of the Thorny Forest.
It was a deste expanse of twisted, ckened trees, devoid of any leaves, their branches covered in wickedly sharp thorns. The ck Tower Master… she was in there, somewhere.
Tether blinked.
“So, we’re supposed to search this entire Thorny Forest to find the ck Tower Master?”
“That’s the n.”
“I thought it would be easy since the scroll specified the Thorny Forest, but I didn’t expect it to be this vast and eerie…”
Seina interjected from the side.
“It’s vast, but we can’t scatter. The Thorny Forest is thick with miasma. There’s no telling when a fiend might jump out.”
“There’s no need to enter the Thorny Forest.”
Ezekiel cut off their conversation.
He slowly knelt on one knee and ced his hand on the ground, focusing intently.?
“Agnes.”
“Yes?”
“The ck Tower Master, are you sure she’s here?”
“ording to the information, absolutely.”
“Good.”
Ezekiel silently nodded.
<b><i>*Shhhhh—*</i></b>
Taking a deep breath in,
“Kyul.”
? ? ? ? ? ? ?
Greta was born a witch.
Until recently, she held the title of ck Tower Master, but that was no longer the case.
Now, she simply wore a pitch-ck robe topped with arge pointed hat. Perched on it was a single frog.
Lately, she found herself often reflecting on how she ended up in this situation.
The me, she knew,rgely rested on Teddy Divine.
She had been swept up in that child’s greed and ambition, but it wasn’t as if she hadmitted any crimes of her own.
Nheless, Greta engaged in self-reflection, as she was magnanimous by nature, seeking to find fault within herself.
“Leaving the forest in the first ce was my mistake. The ck Tower… all of it…” she muttered to herself.
<b><i>*Croak—*</i></b>
She was in the heart of the Thorny Forest.
Though known for its gloomy atmosphere, to Greta, who had lived and grown there, it was the mostfortable ce.
The scenery before her was serene.
A crackling bonfire, a cauldron bubbling over a steady me, a magically built hut nearby… and of course, her frogs. It was enough.
Yes, this was a witch’s life.
As her eyelids began to flutter closed…
<b><i>*Croak, croak, croak.*</i></b>
A frog suddenly leaped onto Greta’s face.
“Gah!”
She brushed the frog away and opened her eyes. A group of frogs sat before her, offering a collection of herbs and berries.
“These are good for me, you know.”
<b><i>*Croak, croak.*</i></b>
“That’s sweet of you all, but I’ll be fine. It’s not something that can be cured with this.”
To perfect the forbidden techniques of the ck Tower, she had poured her very life force into her work. Mere herbs and berries were useless. Perhaps a legendary elixir would do the trick, but even that was a long shot.
“An ice waterfall… I want to try making one. I want to install one in in sight.”
<b><i>*Croak…*</i></b>
The frog stirring the cauldron shook its head. Another failure, it seemed.
Greta knew her limits.
How could she, with no talent in ice magic, create something as difficult as an ice waterfall?
Even the Blue Tower Mages struggled with such a feat.
It was mere stubbornness on her part; a foolish attachment.
<b><i>*Croak, croak! Croak, croak!*</i></b>
The frogs croaked urgently. Greta’s face hardened slightly.
“…The Forest Guardian is here.”
A figure approached, each step echoing. Dressed in rags, they looked like a beggar.
The figure wore a crown of thorny branches and leaned on a long wooden staff like a scepter.
The Guardian of the Thorny Forest, also known as the Thornwood Sprite, was approaching.
Wherever it settled, the area turned into a bramble field.
For Greta, this was far from a pleasant reunion.
With her vitality significantly diminished, she wasn’t in the best condition to confront him.
“Well, well, if it isn’t Greta. What brings the former ck Tower Master here?”
“Let’s just say things happened… However…”
Greta quietly took a step back.
“It doesn’t seem like you’vee just to wee me.”
“How rude! You wound me! I assure you, my wee is as warm as ever. It’s simply taken a… different form.”
The Forest Guardian grinned broadly.
“…Different?”
“You were once a revered witch, a force to be reckoned with that anyone would acknowledge. Back then, it was only fitting to wee you as the mistress of this forest.”
“And now?”
“But now… you seem… frail. So, it’s only fitting that I wee you with the nourishment this forest provides. Don’t you agree? ”
<b><i>*Rustle— rustle—*</i></b>
Several thorny trees began to lower their branches slowly, like ropes ready to ensnare Greta’s limbs and neck.
‘This is bad.’
Her energy depleted, her body exhausted.
This was a dire situation.
<b><i>*Croak…! Croak…!*</i></b>
As the frogs croaked intively…
<b><i>*Whoosh! Whoosh!*</i></b>
A deafening sound, like a fierce gale, suddenly erupted.
But it wasn’t quite the wind; it was something cooler.
“What’s with this annoying noise…”
The Forest Guardian’s words were cut short.
The next moment…
“………..…!”
<b><i>*Shhhhaaaa—!*</i></b>
What happened next was nothing short of astonishing.
<b><i>*Crrraaaack—!*</i></b>
With a loud crack, the entire Thorny Forest, the very air around them, froze instantly. The Forest Guardian now stood as nothing more than a frozen statue.
‘…Neither I nor the frogs were affected.’
That was what Greta found strange.
<b><i>*Tap.*</i></b>
Greta lightly tapped the frozen Forest Guardian between the eyes.
<b><i>*Swoosh—!*</i></b>
And immediately, a path of ice formed before her.
Something or someone was rapidly approaching her.