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A goat’s head mounted on the wall contributed to the sinister atmosphere, reminiscent of a secret hideout for a criminal organization. Black-hooded mages strode purposefully through this space, which was, in fact, the Black Magic Tower—the northernmost of the Empire’s six Magical Towers and the epitome of black magic.

“Madam Tower Master~” a playful voice called out.

The speaker was a petite girl with a devilish appearance, sporting horns and clutching a teddy bear. In contrast, the woman addressed as the Tower Master bore a striking resemblance to a witch; donning a pointed hat pulled low over her face and a black dress, she seemed unbothered, merely stirring a bubbling cauldron with telekinesis.

“Tower Master~ Are you listening?”

The Tower Master continued to meticulously study a book suspended in midair by telekinesis, as various strange ingredients were poured into the boiling cauldron.

“Madam Tower Master! The Ruiple region has been purified!” the girl exclaimed.

Only then did the witch-like woman’s gestures halted. She slightly raised her pointed hat, fixing her gaze on the small girl; despite the gloomy surroundings, her emerald eyes glowed like torches.

“Yes~ Without a doubt. I confirmed it myself.”

“By whom?”

“The Imperial Magic Tower. Oh, and they took the demonic sword too!”

“…The Imperial Magic Tower?”

The Black Tower Master abruptly closed the floating book with a sharp snap. Meanwhile, the girl hugged her teddy bear tightly, peering into the bubbling cauldron.

“That’s what I said~ Why would I lie? More importantly, are you making that thing again? The Flowing Ice Waterfall?”

The Black Tower Master nodded silently.

The Flowing Ice Waterfall—an extremely challenging ice magic technique that created a spectacular cascade of flowing ice and the Black Tower Master coveted this intricate, decorative piece

However, its extreme difficulty was not without reason…

…Indeed, its creation proved to be no simple task; even the recipe remained a mystery.

“Honestly, you’re always obsessed with interior decorations. Madam Tower Master, is it really that important? Do you want it that badly?”

“It is important.”

“I don’t think it’s possible. We specialize in black magic, after all. And we can’t lower ourselves to ask the Blue Tower for help! Just give up~ What’s wrong with not having such a decoration?”

At this, the Black Tower Master’s hair rippled slightly, as if she had heard something utterly unacceptable; the girl quickly corrected herself. “Ah, my mistake. It’s important. Very important.”

Only then did the Black Tower Master click her tongue, as if to say she’d let it slide.

“So, Madam Tower Master, what are we going to do? That demonic sword was something we had our eyes on! They beat us to it!”

The girl’s words rang true.

The Black Magic Tower prioritized the study of black magic above all else; hence, they had deliberately neglected the Ruiple region.

Their plan was to allow the demonic sword to grow significantly before capturing it for research—a typical approach for those who valued exploration above all else. After all, that was the nature of the Black Magic Tower.

Yet someone had brazenly snatched away that demonic sword; and of all places, it was the Imperial Magic Tower.

“Hmm.”

“Who would have thought the Imperial Tower could pull this off? Are they hiding some incredible achievements?”

“That’s unlikely. Their internal affairs are surely in disarray.”

The Black Tower Master was confident in her assessment.

“So, what should we do now?”

“For now, we focus solely on the exchange meeting. Forget everything else.”

“The exchange meeting! It’s incredibly important this time! It’s being held at the Black Magic Tower, after all! Finally, it’s our turn!”

The exchange meeting was hosted by the six Magic Towers in rotation, and this time it was the Black Magic Tower’s turn. In other words, it presented a prime opportunity for the Black Magic Tower to make significant strides.; the fact that the exchange meeting was to be held at their own Magic Tower meant benefits beyond imagination.

“Madam Tower Master, I’m curious about something. The Imperial Magic Tower—are you going to let them arrive peacefully?”

“We must. If we intimidate them, they’ll abstain again. They’ve already skipped over ten times. We have no choice but to coax them carefully.”

“Huh? No, no! Madam Tower Master, what are you talking about?”

The girl shook her head vigorously, as if to contradict the Tower Master’s assumption.

“The Imperial Magic Tower is incredibly arrogant this time! They’ve sent a reply stating they’ll definitely participate. And that’s not all—they even wrote that the other Towers should absolutely not be late!”

“…That’s not like the Imperial Magic Tower. What’s gotten into them?”

“Madam Tower Master! So, are you really going to let them arrive peacefully?”

“Why do you keep asking?”

“Because I want to play a prank~ I want to play a prank!”

“Hmm.”

“They stole our demonic sword! That was supposed to be our Black Magic Tower’s toy! I want to play a prank with them!”

“Do as you please. It’s up to you.”

The Tower Master responded as if thoroughly exasperated. She knew that this troublemaker would act regardless of any warnings, so it was better to give her free rein.

“Ah, really? But Madam Tower Master! Madam Tower Master~!”

“Stop calling me so incessantly. Am I your friend?” A vein throbbing visibly on the Tower Master’s forehead, “…If this isn’t important, I’ll kill you.”

“It is important! Extremely important!”

The girl giggled and pointed her finger, “That!”

Her fingertip was directed at the bubbling cauldron.

“Is it okay to leave it like that? Hm?”

Ah.

That’s right. It should have been stirred continuously.

“…No, it’s not okay.”

The next moment.

BOOM!

The cauldron exploded, sending frogs flying in all directions.

~~••~~••~~

Imperial Magic Tower, Grand Hall

“…Widro, I still don’t have a good feeling about this,” said Nox, the leader of the theoretical faction, adjusting his glasses.

Recently, the atmosphere in the Imperial Magic Tower was tense, as if it could snap at any moment. The reason was obvious — the performance wager that had taken place in Ruiple.

“Let’s not speak ill omens; words have a way of coming true,” Widro retorted, though he felt the same anxiety.

The Ruiple performance wager had a one-week time limit. However, Inspector Ezekiel had returned to the Tower on the very day of his departure. According to the wager’s rules, the results were to be kept secret until the official announcement, leaving everyone in suspense and on edge.

“Is it possible he won and returned in just one day…?” Widro’s words were met with a heavy sigh from Nox.

“Widro, do you even realize what you’re saying?”

“I’m just saying it because I’m frustrated. We have no way of knowing the results until we hear directly from them, and it is driving the mages here insane.”

“I’m worried. Truly worried. If we lose badly in this wager, the princess might change her mind again…”

Widro and Nox’s gaze turned to the other side of the room; three knights stood there in silence. In fact, they had just returned to the capital. In other words, it means that they have been working on their achievements until today.

Meanwhile, Ezekiel hadn’t shown himself in public even once since his return on the first day. Not once.

…Only the occasional wisp of sunweed smoke escaped from his office.

“Why isn’t the Inspector coming out? Were the results that shocking? How big was the difference…?”

“I don’t know. The more we talk about it, the more disheartened I feel.”

Not only was the wager suggested by the princess herself, but she even offered a substantial reward, so countless speculations about the results were circulating among the mages.

At that moment—

BOOM!

—the massive doors swung open, followed by the sound of footsteps.

Click-clack, Click-clack

The distinctive sound of high heels.

The noble resonance that only the princess could possess.

The mages who had been sitting and chatting all stood up at once and even adjusted their breathing to be polite.

The Second Princess strode past everyone and took her place at the front of the Grand Hall.

Thump, Thump

And then there was a man who arrived later than Hedera.

His snow-white hair fell to his shoulders, and his piercing blue eyes stood out against his white skin. Ezekiel entered, still chewing on his sunweed.

Valken, the guard knight, immediately reacted, “…Inspector, couldn’t you walk a bit faster?”

But Ezekiel remained nonchalant, maintaining his proud demeanor as he retorted, “One might think I was late or something.”

He wasn’t entirely wrong. He had arrived after Hedera, but he wasn’t actually late.

Once everyone had gathered, the announcement began.

“The agreed-upon period has ended. I’ll hear the reports now,” Princess Hedera stated.

Knowing that the fate of the Imperial Magic Tower hung on her mood, all the mages could do was bow their heads in silence.

“Hmm.”

However, the princess hesitated for a moment.

Upon closer inspection, the Second Princess looked far more exhausted than usual, almost haggard.

Observing her appearance, the mages all had one thought—

— Did we lose?

— Has the princess already heard the results?

— We must have lost!

But Hedera was just as unaware of the results as everyone else.

“Hmm.”

And then the words the Second Princess uttered after a while were quite different from the mages’ expectations—

“Before hearing the results, I’d like to offer both sides an opportunity.”

“…An opportunity?”

“What kind of opportunity?”

As the mages whispered among themselves, eyeing each other nervously, the princess continued—

“With the exchange meeting right around the corner, I can’t shake the feeling that this wager was pushed through somewhat recklessly. So, I’m considering giving an opportunity right before we confirm the results.”

“…………..”

“The opportunity is simple. Since both sides were sent to Ruiple with good intentions, how about we reward both sides and conclude this matter?”

“…………!”

The mages’ eyes widened in surprise.

Not just the mages, but the three knights as well.

“However, since both sides will be receiving rewards, there should be no more competition between you. What do you think?”

“…………….”

It was a shocking and yet surprising proposal.

Who was it who treated this wager more interestingly than anyone else and strongly suggested it? It was none other than the Second Princess herself.

For her to now offer an opportunity to reward both sides was completely unexpected. No one could predict what had happened or what change of heart she had experienced.

……Why is she hesitating to hear the results?

As the mages stood frozen in bewilderment, a voice emerged, shattering the silence.

“Your Highness, that is absolutely unacceptable.”

It was none other than Valken who stepped forward, his voice firm and resolute.

“After all, this was a fair and square competition, and everyone has the right to know the outcome. Moreover…”

“Enough. I’ve made my decision.”

However, Hedera abruptly cut off Valken’s words, her voice laced with an unusual urgency.

A sense of unease settled over the crowd. Today’s Second Princess seemed uncharacteristically hasty, her gaze darting towards Ezekiel at regular intervals.

In any case, Valken’s reaction confirmed what everyone suspected—

…There was no doubt that the Knights had emerged victorious.

Viewed from that perspective, this offer was extraordinary.

All eyes quickly turned to Ezekiel.

If he simply accepted, it would result in a draw. Moreover, it would allow them access to the Imperial Treasury. There seemed to be no reason to refuse such a favorable offer.

“……………”

However…

The Inspector of the Imperial Magic Tower was utterly indifferent, his response eliciting widespread astonishment.

“Hmm.”

His nonchalance was almost perplexing.

“This wager was not unreasonable in the slightest.”

Phew—

He exhaled a long stream of smoke.

“I would prefer it if we adhered to our original agreement.”

His words sent shockwaves through the gathering.