Jaekiel's submerged consciousness.
Suddenly, the fire spirit girl waved her hand.
"My name!"
At first, she seemed to live in a mere hut near Jaekiel's heart, but now she
stood with her back to a rather luxurious mansion.
"Listen to my name!"
The girl cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted.
"My name is Sarman!"
Sarman.
Coincidentally, it was the same as the name of the Sun God.
.
.
.
.
"Have you mistaken the Audience Room for a bedroom? It's been nearly a
week now. You really sleep soundly."
Jaekiel regained his senses at the Emperor's voice.
He hastily propped himself up. The soft sensation was due to a bed that the
Emperor had created on the floor of the Audience Room.
Jaekiel quickly began to speak.
He had a lot to say, but what he wanted to express first was about his
intimacy with the First Princess.
"Your Majesty, about this matter…"
"That's enough."
Instead, the Emperor cut Jaekiel off, his tone suggesting he already
understood everything.
"You've excellently dealt with the Northern warriors, and even resolved the
issues that had tormented the First Princess for decades. I won't hold you
accountable for taking her purity."
"Ah."
"Well, if anything, it seems more like you were the one who lost your
virginity. The First Princess has been wandering around the Imperial Palace
in high spirits—I've never seen her like that before in my life."
"…Yes. If you put it that way."
Despite feeling completely wrung dry, Jaekiel was relieved by the
Emperor's easygoing words. He had almost felt wronged.
However, just then.
Suddenly, his heart throbbed painfully.
"Ugh…!"
Jaekiel, forgetting to be formal, rubbed his chest while propping himself up
on the bed.
He had wondered if he would truly die from the intensity of his encounter
with the First Princess, but now the situation was very different.
Whirr!
Swish!
Like the Yin-Yang, heat and cold mixed and spun in a large circle,
delivering tremendous energy to Jaekiel with each rotation.
'It seems the balance isn't quite right yet.'
While it wasn't a perfect Yin-Yang, wasn't it surprising that he felt warmth
in his own body?
It was then that the Emperor spoke.
"I can sense that your level has risen. Although you may have lost energy,
your accomplishments are indeed significant."
Even though he had nearly fainted from the First Princess draining him, it
meant that his constitution had been excellently restored.
Jaekiel also felt it. It was immense.
"I conversed with the Sun Water Spirit in my unconsciousness."
Jaekiel suddenly blurted it out, thinking the Emperor might know about this
unknown phenomenon.
Then, something rather surprising happened.
The indifferent Emperor showed interest.
"…Explain in detail."
"Actually, it wasn't a conversation; I just heard a few words. She introduced
her name."
"A name? What was the name?"
"Sarman. That's what she said."
"Sarman…"
Perhaps he sensed something from the name; the Emperor immediately
spread his intangible energy to examine Jaekiel.
Afterward, a long silence ensued.
One minute, five minutes, ten minutes…
The Emperor broke the silence as he fiddled with an apple.
"Well, the situation is ambiguous. We'll discuss it again later."
"Yes."
Jaekiel quickly agreed.
Was it a phenomenon even the Emperor didn't know about, or was he
simply not sharing? In any case, there was no way for Jaekiel to know right
now. He could only observe his own body carefully.
"Jaekiel, do you know you've been out for a week?"
"A week…?"
"You've been lying here in the Audience Room for a week. In that time,
some urgent matters have come up, so let's discuss them."
The Emperor continued as he handled the apple.
"The Demon Realm thugs attacked the Purple Tower. The Purple Tower
suffered a significant defeat. The problem is that the magicians from the
Imperial Tower who went to support are also missing."
Jaekiel frowned, looking as if he didn't understand.
"The Purple Tower is a group specialized in combat magicians, right? Even
if they were ambushed, they should have been able to handle it normally."
That was obvious, but the characteristics of the magic towers differed.
The Purple Tower specialized in lightning elements.
Just as the Imperial Tower monitored other towers and the Blue Tower
quietly researched ice, the Purple Tower was specialized for combat against
enemies.
They had a temperament that struck down opponents like lightning.
Thus, it was difficult to understand, but the Emperor continued.
"It should be interpreted that a much stronger group than before has
attacked. You know well that the situation in the Demon Realm has been
unusual lately."
In that case, it was even more difficult to understand.
"Why would such strong beings appear out of nowhere?"
"To put it bluntly, there's a high probability it's your fault."
"…What?"
A question crossed Jaekiel's face, but the Emperor didn't care and
continued to handle the apple.
"It's because traces of the Snow Ghost have been discovered on the
continent."
Snow Ghost, a title that had once been associated with Jaekiel.
"There are no records about you on the continent, but demons typically live
for a long time. It's possible that there are officials who remember you."
The large stone slab map that rose in one corner of the Audience Room; the
Emperor pointed here and there with his intangible energy.
The order was Luiple, the Black Tower, the Thorn Forest, and the First
Princess's territory.
"We exterminated demons in the Luiple region, dealt with a few in the
Black Tower, eliminated demons in the Thorn Forest, and killed the
Northern warriors allied with the Demon Realm…"
"Ah."
"Now you understand. Even if the Demon Realm doesn't know that you are
the Snow Ghost, it's enough reason for them to harbor ill feelings toward
you."
Jaekiel let out a short sigh.
He had started to make a remarkable impact everywhere, and it was only
natural that he had become the top headache for the Demon Realm.
"It seems that I am indeed the cause."
"Well, I would rather blame the weakness of the continental magicians than
you. It has been too peaceful for too long."
The Emperor's words were rather cold.
"You decide whether to go or not. This will likely be the most difficult task
you've had recently."
"Did they attack the Purple Tower head-on?"
"They attacked using the labyrinth underground as a route."
The Emperor detailed the structure of the labyrinth on the slab.
It was said that the Emperor had all the geography of the continent in his
mind. It seemed that was no exaggeration.
"By the way, your secretary has also gone missing from here. She left first
because you collapsed."
Jaekiel's expression turned serious upon hearing that.
When he recalled his last memory, Anes had been caught up in the intimacy
between him and the First Princess and had suffered greatly. She must be in
a deeply confusing situation…
'She must have gone out to support the Imperial Tower's honor.'
Amidst such confusion, she must have gone out to help the Imperial Magic
Tower. He wanted to save her out of gratitude for her intentions.
However, several questions remained.
"…If I, as the Snow Ghost, am the target, then why didn't they aim directly
at me? I don't understand why they chose to attack the Purple Tower first."
"The location of the Purple Tower makes it obvious."
The Emperor marked it on the map.
There were many bustling cities and commercial areas surrounding the
Purple Tower. It was a location that magicians had to pass through for
various exchanges.
"If they attacked the Purple Tower, it would be easy for other towers to
come for support. In other words, they knew support would come and likely
aimed for that."
The Emperor continued calmly.
"Shall I share some good news that is also important?"
"Please do."
"Your secretary and the Imperial Tower magicians are still alive."
"Did they not kill them immediately?"
Jaekiel asked, relieved.
"Yes, the demons that came this time aim to capture those who came to
support from each tower as hostages rather than annihilating them. Do you
understand now?"
"…Hostages?"
"You understand well. The more hostages there are, the harder it is for you,
as the Snow Ghost, to respond."
The Emperor's words were not incorrect.
The biggest difference between demons and humans.
Demons do not care if their comrades die, but humans hold the lives of their
comrades in high regard. It was clear that the attackers had thought this
through.
"This attack seems to target you, Jaekiel. The demons have sharpened their
blades for this."
The Emperor tossed the apple and caught it again.
"Well, the situation is as it is, and it's up to you whether to go. You could
ignore it and pretend not to know."
"I will set out immediately."
At this, a subtle smile crept into the Emperor's tone.
"You're not asking for a deal this time?"
"Yes. That's not what's important."
It wasn't about negotiating a reward. It was merely a strong sense of
responsibility as the auditor. This was something he could not overlook.
"I admire your determination. If all goes well, it will strike a blow to the
Demon Realm's forces, and I will take care of the rewards."
The Emperor chuckled in satisfaction.
"Besides, you never know. If you succeed this time, the Purple Tower might
willingly offer up some magic techniques."
Magic techniques, Sun Water… The thought briefly crossed his mind.
"..."
However, those thoughts quickly scattered.
At present, Jaekiel held no thoughts of trade or reward in his mind. Such
matters were completely secondary.
He merely hoped for the safety of those who had begun to recognize and
praise him after he had lived as a complete unknown for so long.
He only wished for their safety.
"I'll go right away. Then, I'll take my leave."
Jaekiel quickly left the Audience Room.
And finally, the Emperor was left alone.
"…How interesting. He's truly an intriguing one."
The Emperor murmured softly.
At the same time, he had to acknowledge it.
Jaekiel, whom he had regarded merely as a puppet or a tool, was slowly
beginning to be evaluated differently in his heart.
How wildly had he advanced?
Jaekiel quickly arrived in the territory of the Imperial Tower.
At the same time, a thick magical presence surged forth.