“….”
thump
As I came to my senses, the ceiling was the first thing I saw.
Familiar structure; Ezekiel instantly realized where he was lying. It was the Imperial Family’s lodging.
“…!”
He had no idea why he was lying there. Just as he shot up into a sitting position…
“His Majesty the Emperor has visited.”
A familiar voice invaded his ears. It was his personal secretary, Agnes.
Feeling an immense headache while looking at Agnes, who was standing by his side, beep beep—the ringing in his ears thundered.
Unbeknownst to him, he pressed his palm against his forehead.
Thinking back slowly, it wasn’t difficult to piece together what might have happened. The Emperor must have visited him.
“…What exactly did the Emperor do?”
“He seemed to have knocked you out in the underground prison. I hurriedly brought you here, and the 5th Princess…”
“…The Emperor took her away.”
Agnes nodded, her expression darkening.
Ezekiel calmly retraced the situation. He fainted without even having a chance to react to the Emperor.
The shock from that kept Ezekiel from raising his head. He thought he had closed the gap with the Emperor quite a bit, but it seemed there was still a gap as vast as heaven and earth.
“…Why did the Emperor let me live?”
Killing him would have been nothing for the Emperor. There must have been a reason for him to keep Ezekiel alive.
“He said he had a duty to witness the execution of the 5th Princess. You must not die until then… Those were his words.”
A look of fear lingered on Agnes’s face.
“He didn’t seem like an ordinary person at all. What on earth is the Emperor… The more I see, the less I understand…”
In the meantime, something caught Ezekiel’s eye.
In one corner, there was a basket containing a flask radiating dazzling light.
Upon realizing what they were, he couldn’t help but be shocked. They were all Sun Elixirs.
Ezekiel squinted.
“…Sun Elixirs?”
“Those were left by His Majesty the Emperor.”
“The Emperor?”
With the series of incomprehensible events, Ezekiel could only silently gaze at Agnes.
Without an explanation, nothing could be understood.
“If you’re confident, then try it… That was all he said…”
Agnes mumbled, but Ezekiel grasped the meaning clearly.
If the executor couldn’t proceed with the execution, then the 5th Princess wouldn’t die. It was a sort of provocation to make an attempt if he had the means to fight back.
“Did he think I would hesitate?”
“Inspector.”
As Ezekiel spoke with a low growl, Agnes cautiously interrupted him.
“I hope you stay safe.”
“Of course.”
“If you could make a promise… that would be nice.”
That was quite unusual.
For someone like Agnes, who handled everything by the book, to say such a thing was surprising. The expression on her face was that serious.
“Could you promise me that you’ll be safe?”
Ezekiel paused for a moment but simply nodded to Agnes without a word. He couldn’t go saying he would likely die on a trip to face off against the Emperor.
With that settled, Ezekiel immediately picked up the basket. He intended to try everything he could.
Just as he was about to open the door and go out…
clank—
There was only the sound of the doorknob being locked; it wouldn’t budge.
It wasn’t a structure that could be locked from the outside, and as Ezekiel pondered this oddity, he found the reason. Agnes had used her telekinesis to hold it shut.
Ezekiel turned to look at Agnes.
“Do you still have something to say?”
Agnes was silent for a while, unable to meet Ezekiel’s gaze.
The silence was eventually broken after a while. Just when Ezekiel was about to force the door open with magic, words finally came out.
“Um, Inspector.”
There are voices in the world that convey an immense determination with just a single word. Ezekiel felt that kind of weight from Agnes’s voice now.
“I’m sorry.”
That was all Agnes had to say.
After her resolute words left her mouth, something rushed into Ezekiel’s embrace. It was something light as a feather and soft as cotton.
Before Ezekiel could even discern what it was.
Agnes tightly hugged Ezekiel, as if pleading him not to go.
However, the woman showed remarkable restraint.
After a moment, Agnes took a small step back, her eyes slightly puffy, and looked up at Ezekiel with a face that seemed ready to burst into tears with a mere poke.
“I wanted to hug you just once. Maybe now is….”
Agnes couldn’t finish her sentence. But Ezekiel understood its meaning.
She sensed it. This might be their last meeting.
Ezekiel didn’t mind that treatment at all.
After all, he was headed to face the Emperor. It was only natural to think he might perish. Even Ezekiel couldn’t assure victory.
Agnes calmly conveyed her feelings.
“It was an honor to be your secretary, Inspector. It will continue to be so. Probably for life.”
Ezekiel contemplated for a moment.
“Why are you acting like this? We’ll meet again.”
He only gave a slight smile.
“You better prepare to kick the blankets off.”
Leaving the palace for the first time with such treatment, he set off.
He was truly about to confront the Emperor.
“I never imagined I would witness such a spectacle…”
“More so than anticipation, fear dominates; I still wonder if it’s okay for me to see this. Am I really in reality?”
“I feel the same, it doesn’t feel real. Not at all…”
People were already gathering like clouds in anticipation of the unprecedented event. The location was the giant execution ground situated outside the Imperial Palace.
The Emperor himself would be ending the life of the 5th Princess.
More than half the continent’s population had likely never even seen the Emperor and the Princess in person.
The mere fact that the two of them were to appear at the same time was enough to draw a crowd, but now there was even talk of an execution. Consequently, the throngs were not just citizens of the Empire.
Warriors from the Northern Region, as well as the pointy-eared elves of the Great Forest, and truly, news had spread across the entire continent, with all sorts of characters gathering.
Amidst this, Ezekiel was inside the training ground.
Opposite him stood the Emperor’s right-hand woman, Ilaref.
“Ahem, honestly, it would be easier to give up on the 5th Princess. There would be consequences for acting independently but… Well, at least we wouldn’t be executed together.”
“In that case, I would rather die together.”
He never considered living alone in cowardice.
Moreover, looking back at Neo’s life, the more he thought about it, the more he realized he couldn’t part with her.
She had devoted her entire life to aiding Ezekiel’s revenge. Regardless of the outcome, there was no way he could just let her be.
Ilaref’s gaze took on a peculiar light.
“Ezekiel, have you ever thought about this?”
“What kind of thought?”
“The Emperor has had many opportunities.”
“Opportunities?”
“Yes. Opportunities.”
Ilaref nodded.
“Opportunities to kill you, opportunities to kill the 5th Princess, opportunities to dispose of the demon you’ve insisted on keeping alive… In fact, calling them opportunities feels somewhat off. He can do whatever he desires.”
“What are you trying to say?”
“What I mean is, anyone who dares to oppose the Emperor experiences suffering beyond imagination… That’s really all there is to it.”
Ilaref gave a cryptic smile.
“Does it seem like it would be a fair duel against His Majesty the Emperor? It’s not. He will use every possible means to pressure you.”
“….”
“Isn’t the wellbeing of those around you important? Yet, you still think of opposing His Majesty? Is that really the attitude of someone who cherishes their loved ones?”
Ezekiel momentarily lost his words.
Just imagining the deaths of those he cherished made it hard for him to breathe.
True, but that thought was only a fleeting moment. It wasn’t Ilaref’s logic that had rendered him speechless.
“Clever nonsense.”
Ezekiel dismissed Ilaref’s words.
No matter what threats were hurled, it was futile.
Unless he stood up and faced it directly, this hellish life would continue.
“Just shut up and watch.”
With that, Ezekiel ended the conversation and poured all the Sun Elixirs into his body.
It was a whole bottle’s worth.
