Why was it that thoughts of her kept circling in his mind?
Jaekiel had desperately tried to protect her, but ultimately failed. The
Emperor of the Empire stood by idly, and the Demon King had taken a
particular liking to the Princess.
Suddenly, the memories of that time resurfaced, filling him with agony.
If only I had done better back then, could I have saved her?
"…"
He shook his head.
The past couldn't be changed, and surely the "Goddess" the elite demons
mentioned wasn't referring to the 0th Imperial Princess.
Jaekiel wasn't foolish enough to dwell on such baseless assumptions that
would distract him from more important matters, so he shook off his
thoughts and returned to his usual self.
Meanwhile, the situation nearby was swiftly being resolved.
"…Oh, it's the person who helped us."
"The Auditor of the Imperial Tower uses ice magic?"
"We will never forget this kindness."
The frog girls had a surprisingly cute demeanor.
Despite their youthful appearance, their manner of speaking was unusually
formal.
The Black Tower Master, Greta, quietly nodded.
"…Indeed, it seems the Auditor is an honored guest."
Everyone started gathering around Jaekiel, organizing their belongings,
when Jaekiel spoke.
"Thank you, but everyone step back. I've had an idea."
Perhaps it was thanks to the battle with the demons, but Jaekiel's body felt
loosened, and the cold energy had settled. He was filled with the desire to
release the new sense that had surfaced in his mind.
"You've already realized something…?"
Greta, slightly surprised, placed the disk on the ground and pulled the frogs
back.
Sssss.
Jaekiel immediately summoned his cold energy.
'Forget what the elite demon said for now.'
It wasn't difficult.
He was soon able to focus entirely on his cold energy.
The ice element that had yet to be captured in the disk.
To create the beauty that would rightfully fill that empty space, Jaekiel
slowly released his cold energy while analyzing it piece by piece.
He didn't concern himself with form or power just yet, focusing only on the
energy without imagining the final result.
Srrrk. Srrrrk.
The cold energy began to writhe as if it were alive.
The purified energy, now visible to the naked eye, continuously rose and
drifted around.
Finally, at one moment.
"…Flow."
The blueprint in his mind aligned perfectly with the image he envisioned.
Jaekiel struggled not to lose the image in his mind as he began combining
mana with his cold energy.
…How many magic circles would be needed?
He decided not to worry about it. He simply added as many as needed. No
matter how many there were, it wasn't something Jaekiel, at his level,
needed to be concerned about.
Thus, over twenty magic circles were deployed.
"Hoo."
With a single breath.
As he infused strength into his entire body, he instantly activated all the
magic mechanisms connected to his mana.
Fwooooosh!
Like a fuse catching fire, the mana raced through the circuits, turning the
once colorless magic circles into a brilliant blue. The resonant sound was
just a bonus.
Whoom!
Whoom!
It was a pleasing vibration that any magician would feel.
Jaekiel had nearly exhausted his mana.
But it didn't matter. He knew this feeling signaled success.
Rumbleeeeee!
Before everyone's eyes, something blue surged forth with great force. It
was so enormous that it was hard to believe it was created by magic—it
looked like it had always been part of the landscape.
The cold swept through.
Crackkk! Craackkkk! Craaackkkk!
An ice waterfall.
A towering wall of ice, its height indiscernible, reflecting the light from the
sky as something glittering fell continuously to the ground, crashing down.
That, too, was ice.
It was overwhelmingly grand yet not dangerous. The mist of shattered ice it
emitted created a beautiful spectacle, one that left viewers in awe.
"…"
Everyone was momentarily speechless, lost in the sight.
It couldn't be helped.
The ice… was flowing like a massive stream. The frozen waterfall flowed
endlessly, circulating without pause.
It was a masterpiece of such perfection that it sent shivers down the spine.
"Greta."
At some point, Jaekiel called out to the Black Tower Master. Only then did
she snap out of her daze and look at him.
"Well, do you think this will be worthy of placing in the disk?"
Greta didn't answer with words.
She simply activated the disk.
…Greta, who had been born a witch, had harbored a powerful desire ever
since becoming the Black Tower Master.
Because she was a witch, she had suffered all sorts of persecution and faced
even more discrimination for dabbling in dark magic.
Yet, even in such circumstances, there was something she had always
wanted to create, something she had burned her life force to achieve—a
single vision.
Of course, it was far from an ordinary vision.
She had always dreamed of a landscape where all magicians could live in
harmony, a masterpiece made up of distinct elemental forces, a vision of
true "balance."
And so she had gathered them.
A mountain range formed of solidified flame, a lake made from pooled
darkness, and a girl made of wind wandering around the area…
Now, between those mountains and lakes, the ice waterfall had joined.
The landscape Greta had so desperately wanted had finally been completed.
It was the moment when her dream turned into reality. How breathtaking
was the sight of all the elements shining together?
Words could not adequately describe it.
All one could do was shiver in awe.
"Ah…"
Greta quietly closed her eyes.
It was inevitable. With her eyes closed, the scenery became even clearer,
something she could only feel through her body. The swirling elements
wrapped around her.
The entire world was made of elements.
Happiness slowly filled her.
The flame mountains were warm, the ice waterfall cool, and the dark lake
reflected the sky like a mirror.
When Greta finally opened her eyes again.
Her eyes were wet.
"…Thank you."
Those were her first words.
Greta looked quietly at Jaekiel.
She had never expected success, but the outcome had been a resounding
triumph. Now, Greta was expressing her gratitude with more sincerity than
ever before in her life.
"Auditor, this disk is yours."
It was a landscape that Greta could never have completed on her own but
had always wanted to see during her lifetime.
Now that her wish had been fulfilled, ownership no longer mattered to her.
"Let it remain the property of the Black Tower Master. I'll just keep it for
safekeeping."
At his words, Greta quietly nodded.
She slowly raised her arms and surrendered herself to the landscape, feeling
the five elements envelop her. She pulled her pointed hat down over her
head, savoring the happiness.
Something began to trickle down her cheeks.
Someday.
Someday.
She hoped that one day, all magicians could live in harmony.
Just like the landscape shown by this disk.
Afterward.
They quickly returned to the Imperial Magic Tower.
"The landscape on the disk was truly moving! If only Greta were the Black
Tower Master again, everyone would see the Black Tower with kinder
eyes!"
"Indeed. But we've confirmed the possibility, haven't we? The Black Tower
will only grow happier from now on."
It seemed that Anes and Tether had grown a bit closer.
They talked about the disk's landscape the entire way back, clearly moved
by it. It was no idle talk—Greta would indeed become happier in the future.
'Especially since Greta has decided to take up the role of Black Tower
Master again.'
Jaekiel had faith in Greta. The Black Tower would be rebuilt splendidly,
and she would be a reliable ally to him.
It was a path that promised an exciting future.
There was much to do after that, and time passed in a whirlwind.
.
.
.
.
"Auditor, this is just a small gift, but…!"
"Could I just see the Auditor's face once?"
There were many rewards and gifts, but even more people were now
coming to the Magic Tower, just hoping to catch a glimpse of Jaekiel's face.
It couldn't even be compared to the impact of his previous work in the
Luiple region. The ripples were far greater this time, as his success had
been publicly showcased.
However, Jaekiel wasn't at the Imperial Magic Tower.
'Finally, today is the day.'
As soon as the sun rose, he set foot on the Imperial grounds. Even Jaekiel
wasn't sure how long he had waited for this day.
He had checked the state of the disk, the Black Tower's secret technique,
over and over again, and had regulated his mana flow and cold energy
countless times to ensure that his body would remain in top condition.
For one reason alone.
To receive the Sun Water into his body.
'Finally, today.'
Jaekiel gazed at the distant audience room.
The highest authority in the empire, the Emperor.
The day had finally come for him to receive the Sun Water from the
Emperor.
And one more thing.
Solana had come to greet him.