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Chapter 70:
Chapter 70:
Chapter 70:
?? Chapter 70 ?
?Translator – Creator?
?Clatter—!
Suddenly, the sound of a plate shattering echoed throughout the room.
And both women’s gazes snapped toward the source of the noise.
“….….”
And the two overheated women couldn’t help but be greatly taken aback. It was none other than Ezekiel who had thrown the shattered plate to the floor.
But that wasn’t all.
His face bore a very cold expression.
After a long silence, he finally spoke, his voice laced with displeasure.“…How disappointing. Truly disappointing.”
His words, sharp as icicles, sent a shiver down their spines; they stood frozen, at a loss for words.
Past memories often influence the present.
— You lied to me about your assignment, again.
— I’m so disappointed in you.
They both recalled being scolded by their Master, the sting of his disapproval leaving an indelible mark on their young hearts.
Reality crashed back down on them. They finally understood where they had gone wrong. Their argument, their back-and-forth, shouldn’t have taken place in front of Ezekiel.
Ezekiel sighed, shaking his head.
“I’d rather go back to that rural village than stay here and listen to this.”
Just one sentence.
“….…!”
Just that one sentence.
But it was enough to make the women’s hearts sink.
Hedera’s eyes widened in horror, while Solana fidgeted nervously.
They were both utterly fixated on one man.
Ezekiel, their master. Their world revolved around him.
• • • ? • • •
With my face buried in my hands, I struggled to come up with a solution.
…What should I do now?
I prided myself on having faced numerous high-difficulty missions, but I had never encountered anything like this. It was shocking enough that both princesses were upset, but to make matters worse, they had openly expressed their hostility towards each other.
And the reason for their argument was me. Of all people, me.
“………”
Fortunately, Solana and Hedera had temporarily subdued the auras they had unleashed moments earlier. In truth, if they thoroughly examined the situation, I had my reasons to be angry. I am not an object but a human being. Yet they were arguing over ownership of me right in front of me?
Yes, that’s right.
But the reason I couldn’t bring myself to be truly angry—
…was that this was my fault.
Since the origin of this was the letters I had written, I felt a sense of guilt.
“……….”
For now, I kept my mouth shut.
In this situation, with everyone watching me closely, staying silent was advantageous. The more I hastily spoke, the more likely I would lose this upper hand.
Of course, even amid this, a sense of amazement welled up inside me.
‘The more I think about it, the stranger it seems.’
Confessing one’s feelings to another.
Such an act itself was fraught with risk; there was the possibility of being rejected, and in the worst cases, it could even lead to being hated.
Yet I had written them a marriage proposal.
Not to an ordinary woman, but to a princess of the Empire, and I hadn’t been rejected yet. In fact, the subjects of the letter were now arguing over me.
I’m only human; it wasn’t as if I was unhappy about being the center of their attention.
However, the thought of resolving this situation was giving me a headache. How was I supposed to appease two princesses with bruised egos?
‘Or is it three princesses?’
…The princess who wrote back, I still didn’t know who it was.
Anyway, when a conflict arose over a man, the man in question was never truly innocent. I had to defuse the situation before they turned their anger on me.
“We didn’t mean anything by it. We just wanted to know what the Inspector thought… out of pure curiosity…” Hedera stammered.
“…I have a headache.”
I interrupted Hedera, rubbing my temples.
Having collapsed recently and being generally unwell was quite helpful in this situation.
“S-Sorry,” Hedera blurted out.
The Second Princess had apologized! The Second Princess!
It seemed to be working even better than I had anticipated. Both of them fell silent, their gazes fixed anxiously on me. I decided to drive the point home. “…With the exchange meeting coming up, I don’t have the energy for this.”
At this, Hedera quietly averted her gaze while Solana let out a deep sigh. At least I had managed to stop the two princesses from clashing head-on.
After a long silence, both princesses finally spoke.
“I’m sorry if I made you angry.”
“Inspector, please understand that I meant no harm.”
I took a deep breath and nodded, still playing the part of the frail, sickly man.
“I’m not upset. It’s just that… my health hasn’t been very good lately…”
It seemed as though those words alone offered them immense comfort; relief washed over their faces.
Hedera quickly interjected, “No, you have every right to be upset. We acted shamefully, arguing like that in front of you.”
It was rare for a princess, especially the proud Second Princess, to refer to her own actions as shameful.
It showed just how much she cared about me.
“Master, I apologize. A devout believer should be able to maintain their composure under any circumstances… But it was the first time someone had barged in during a conversation, so…”
Solana’s apology, on the other hand, held a barb.
Her apology was genuine, but she also seemed to subtly blame Hedera for interrupting the conversation.
It would be challenging to make them reconcile immediately. The best approach in this situation was to make a promise rather than offer an explanation.
I first directed my gaze to Hedera.
“…Tower Master, I have no intention of betraying the Imperial Magic Tower.”
I deliberately used the title “Tower Master” instead of “Second Princess,” as a sign of my loyalty to the Imperial Magic Tower.
“That’s…”
“Yes. I mean to say that as an Inspector, my priority is to fulfill my duties to the best of my abilities.”
I nodded and pressed further, “But the question you asked me… it wasn’t simply about whether I would choose you as the Tower Master, was it?”
Hedera’s question.
It had been a question about whether, as a man, I would choose her as a woman.
“………….”
“No matter how I answer, the relationship will change. It could affect the Magic Tower, and even influence the Ascension Ceremony.”
“But I’m just curious…”
Hedera mumbled softly.
Of course, she still couldn’t meet my gaze.
“Such a change in our relationship wouldn’t necessarily be a positive one. What if I were to refuse to choose you and resign as Inspector? What would you do then?”
“If you don’t choose me….”
Hedera seemed to want to say something, her lips quivering, but then she closed them tightly and shook her head, “…No. That must not happen.”
At times like these, Hedera’s past childish demeanor emerged, reminding me of the girl she once was. I nodded silently.
“And above all, the exchange meeting is urgent.”
This time, my gaze shifted to Solana.
But surprisingly, Solana spoke first.
“Anything is fine with me.”
She had already clasped her hands together as if in prayer, her eyes squeezed shut, a semblance of calm restored to her face.
“Even if you don’t choose me, it’s alright,” she continued, her voice steady.
“Anyway, if it means you can succeed more, it’s okay. If choosing another means you can focus more on your work, I have to accept that. I can wait.”
“How long are you willing to wait? It might never end.”
“When it ends doesn’t matter.”
She finally opened her eyes, her gaze unwavering.
“…As long as you don’t fool around with other women while focusing on your work. As long as that’s kept, I don’t mind.”
She was always clear about what she wanted.
“Solana, calm down first.”
“Master, I’m calmer than ever.”
A dazzling smile spread across her face.
“I told you, didn’t I? Any woman besides me is just a sly fix. So, you need to be careful.”
But her tone was exceptionally firm; there wasn’t a hint of wavering left.
“The moment I sense that your resolve is weakening, that another woman has enchanted you… I’ll have no choice but to punish them. To bring down divine judgment upon them.”
“…Punish them?”
“Not you, Master. But them. All of them.”
…I wonder what kind of punishment she has in mind. It couldn’t be anything pleasant.
With those words, Solana stood up first.
“Then I will take my leave. The exchange meeting is soon.”
Before long, only Hedera and I were left in the dining room. I felt a sense of temporary relief and lightly greeted Hedera.
“I should be going as well.”
I intended to focus on the imminent exchange meeting.
But.
Hedera’s words stopped me in my tracks.
“…Don’t you have anything to say to me?”
I popped another sunweed into my mouth, stalling for time. “Something to say?”
“I do.”
Hedera took the initiative to speak first.
“I’ll be accompanying you to this exchange meeting.”
“Hmm.”
“Don’t misunderstand. I’m going purely as the Tower Master. Nothing will happen that would concern you.”
She continued speaking, ignoring my attempts to interject, her tone as firm as a declaration of war. “However—” Hedera’s gaze locked onto mine— “After the exchange meeting, you have to give me an answer.”
Her eyes held an unyielding determination.
“That’s the condition for me to remain as the Tower Master and not approach you as Hedera during the event.”
With that proposal, Hedera turned and left.
Hooo—!
I sighed, the smoke from the sunweed swirling around me.
…Is this a blessing or a curse?
• • • ? • • •
The night before the exchange meeting.
Also, the last night I would be sleeping in the infirmary.
Just before drifting off to sleep, a thought crossed my mind.
‘…Thank goodness the First Princess wasn’t there.’
If I had to choose the most unpredictable of the three princesses, it would undoubtedly be her. How much more chaotic would it have been if she had been in the dining room with the other two?
…It was a terrifying thought just to imagine.
Knock—! Knock—!
“Inspector! Inspector!”
Someone was urgently knocking on the door.
The voice was familiar, it belonged to the First Princess’s messenger.
…Could it be?
The First Princess wouldn’t be looking for me, would she? Suppressing a sense of dread, I opened the infirmary door.
Thankfully, my fears proved unfounded; the messenger was alone.
“Ah, Inspector!” he exclaimed, sweat dripping down his forehead.
“Have you seen the First Princess anywhere?”
I felt a great sense of relief at that question. For this moment, not seeing the First Princess was good news.
“Unfortunately, I have no idea where she is.”
I thought that would be the end of the conversation.
However.
The messenger’s next words filled me with dread.
“…That’s odd? She said she was coming to see you, Inspector Ezekiel.”