Episode 60

A woman resembling a wolf of snowy plains.

Her stature, which could easily make a mockery of an average adult male, defined the spirit of a woman, and her eyes, as if melted from pure gold, emitted a golden light.

The 1st Princess of the Empire, Ether.

Ether silently gazed at the throne.

Even in the Audience Room, where anyone would fear the Emperor, Ether showed no sign of being intimidated. Instead, she wore a look as if she had much to say.

“1st Princess, I did not fail to teach you manners.”

The reply came immediately.

“Manners. Of course, I have also mastered that.”

The 1st Princess slightly lifted her chin.

“That’s why I also know to whom manners should be directed. There’s no need for manners towards a fraud.”

The holy grail floating in the air gently swayed.

Who would dare to speak to the Emperor like this?

“Hmm.”

However, the Emperor let out a small laugh as if he were pleased. It seemed he enjoyed this aspect of the 1st Princess.

“So, what brings you here? Have you come to pay your respects after a long time? That wouldn’t be unpleasant.”

“I need to think about what would be considered filial piety. Ending your boring life, would that be considered filial piety?”

Ether smiled as she looked at the throne.

Perhaps the Emperor was also smiling at her.

“You are still as firm as ever. Now, get to the point.”

“Emperor, I have a warning for you.”

“A warning?”

The angle of the swaying holy grail in the air tilted even more. The Emperor seemed to find this interesting.

“I’ve never received a warning before.”

“How fortunate. I also have yet to meet anyone who didn’t heed my warning.”

The Emperor laughed lowly.

“1st Princess, you’ve grown quite a bit since I last saw you. Let’s hear what you have to say. I’ll listen.”

Then Ether spoke very confidently.

“Do not touch my teacher, Emperor.”

“….”

The holy grail swaying in the air momentarily stopped.

A moment of silence passed. It was entirely unprecedented for the 1st Princess to speak about someone else.

“…Jaekiel?”

“Yes, my teacher.”

The liquid in the holy grail flowed into the air.

“So, right now, the 1st Princess is…”

The Emperor spoke very slowly.

“Visiting the Emperor’s Audience Room unannounced, just to issue a warning not to touch your teacher?”

“You’ve understood correctly. Now, make sure to follow it.”

“1st Princess, your childhood must be over by now. You aren’t suggesting we banter now, are you…?”

At the same time, an indescribable power began to emanate from the Emperor’s throne. The entire Audience Room seemed to warp as if mirages were rising.

However, Ether also released her energy, not backing down.

Rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble.

Eventually, the entire space began to shake.

─Wh-what is happening?!

It wasn’t just the inside of the Audience Room; confused voices from outside poured in.

─Everything! Everything is collapsing!

─Aaaaah!

Just as the people outside seemed to be in great danger.

“….”

Surprisingly, it was the Emperor who withdrew his power first.

“Why would the 1st Princess issue such a warning? Let’s hear it.”

Ether scoffed.

“This is not a warning from the 1st Princess, but from Ether. If you harass my teacher again, you will have to face me without my title.”

“1st Princess, are you confident you can win?”

“I am not a coward who only fights battles I can win. I fought and happened to win all of them. But I never approach a fight with the mindset of losing. That is who I am.”

“Hmm…”

The Emperor let out a low laugh.

“Is the 1st Princess, called the Goddess of War and the Queen of All Weapons, ready to risk her life for just one man? Are you out of your mind, or did you underestimate me?”

“Neither.”

“Then?”

“You lied to me. You said you found a better opponent than my teacher, didn’t you?”

Ether grabbed a ray of light and aimed it at the throne.

“Your lie. That is why I came here today.”

“That can’t be. I have never told a lie.”

The apple tossed into the air disappeared with a crunch.

“I turned a bum who was living like a loafer in the countryside into a respectable auditor. The current teacher is a much better opponent than he was back then. Isn’t that right?”

“The Emperor of this empire likes such petty wordplay? It’s lamentable.”

Ether conjured a bow and placed the ray of light on the string.

“Emperor, hand over the Sun Water.”

“Aha.”

The Emperor looked at Ether with a peculiar expression.

Of course, there was no face, but it somehow felt that way.

“I might as well have deceived the 1st Princess, so I should hand over the Sun Water as compensation? Is that what you mean?”

“As expected, you understand quickly. Then, is your refusal to act despite understanding a matter of stubbornness?”

“Interesting. Truly interesting. To demand the most precious Sun Water from the empire, and from no one else but me, the 1st Princess has finally lost her fear.”

After those words, there was a brief silence.

Ether quietly pulled the bowstring taut.

How much time passed after that?

Just as Ether’s fingers were about to release the bowstring.

“I will grant Jaekiel the Sun Water.”

A look of puzzlement spread across Ether’s face.

Unlike in the past, Ether now knew how precious the Sun Water was. And as far as she knew, the Emperor was not someone who would give it away carelessly.

She had not expected him to give it away so easily.

The 1st Princess looked at the Emperor with a puzzled expression, but the Emperor simply swayed the holy grail leisurely.

“1st Princess, but don’t get it wrong. The Sun Water is not being granted because of your demand.”

“What do you mean? Explain.”

“I have already made a deal with Jaekiel. The condition was to purchase the portrait with the Sun Water. In other words…”

The Emperor’s teeth appeared in the air.

A wide, smiling set of white teeth.

“It means that I am not complying with the warning to leave Jaekiel alone, so I will continue to interfere countless times in the future. Don’t be mistaken.”

“You’ve finally lost your mind.”

The next moment.

Boom!

Ether’s spear exploded from the throne.

No, just as it was about to explode, the space distorted.

Swoosh!

The vortex-like distorted space swallowed the spear.

The Emperor let out a low laugh as he began to descend the steps connected to the throne. The long robe, adorned with countless decorations, dragged along the floor.

“1st Princess, the story I’m going to tell you is very important. Shall we discuss it over some fruit?”

“Emperor, I ordered you not to touch Jaekiel.”

“Hmm… First, listen to the story.”

The apple thrown into the air disappeared with a crunch.

“As someone who leads the subjugation of monsters, you should already know. The movements of the demon realm are already suspicious. It is clear that it will soon become a great calamity that will engulf the entire continent.”

“So?”

“Do you know this flower, 1st Princess?”

The Emperor suddenly presented a flower.

It looked withered, but it contained stronger mana than any other flower. Because of its unique characteristic, Ether was very familiar with this flower.

“…Jaekiel?”

“Yes, in the distant past, there was a boy who survived to the end in the Penitence Palace. I named this flower after that little human weapon because it resembled him.”

The Jaekiela flower was placed in the holy grail in the air.

Sizzle!

Immediately, it turned to powder and crumbled down.

“It’s not common, and it’s a very difficult flower to grow. You have to give it a drop of water just before it dies. Otherwise, it will die.”

“….”

“But if you grow it well, the result is tremendous. Just one bloom contains as much mana as a mountain.”

“So?”

“Not ‘so.’”

The long robe swirled and turned. The Emperor slowly began to ascend the steps back to the throne.

“With the demon realm becoming suspicious, the continent needs a weapon. Jaekiel is a human who must be raised in such agony. The method of use is predetermined.”

“Emperor, you truly…”

“‘Emperor,’ well said. Why am I the Emperor?”

Before long, the robe had seated back on the throne at the top.

“Because I’m the strongest? No.”

“Then?”

“Because I care the most about the continent. With the demon realm being suspicious now, Jaekiel is the one who will become the hope of the continent. Therefore, he must be raised using the appropriate method.”

“….”

Ether remained silent for a moment.

She seemed at a loss for words.

For the reason that this was ultimately the way to care for Jaekiel—to torment him, torment him, and torment him again.

To push him to the brink of death, endure pain, torture him with hope, and let him taste despair.

“Ha…”

Ether let out a small laugh.

“HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”

And the small laugh soon turned into a maniacal laugh.

Ether laughed loudly and looked at the throne.

“Emperor, I finally understand your intent.”

“Yes. You finally understand my deep intent.”

Another holy grail was flung towards Ether.

It was filled with apple wine.

“Today, let’s have a drink to commemorate the 1st Princess’s enlightenment. You won’t be throwing any more tantrums, will you?”

Ether nodded cheerfully.

“That’s right. I have gained enlightenment today.”

But the next moment.

The movements of the two holy grails diverged.

The Emperor’s holy grail merely tilted, but Ether’s holy grail was hurled to the ground with great force.

Crash!

“….”

The Emperor seemed to be looking at the apple wine spilled on the floor.

“1st Princess, what are you doing?”

“You handle the peace of the continent. Peace, justice… Do you think I became strong for such things?”

“Then?”

“Emperor, I will get married.”

Ether scoffed loudly.

“I, whom you raised so preciously, will marry the man you raised so harshly. Is there any karma in the world more reasonable than this?”

“…You, what are you…?!”

“Shut up. If you want to stop me, kill me now.”

Ether turned around as if she had no regrets.

Her foot stepped outside the Audience Room. The massive door began to close silently, and the 1st Princess stopped momentarily.

“Oh, I’ll give you one last thing.”

“….”

With her back turned, Ether slowly raised one hand.

And slowly.

Very slowly.

“….”

She folded all her fingers except the middle one.

Until the moment the door completely closed.