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Despite his face being concealed by a helmet, Valkan, Hedera’s guard knight, couldn’t hide his bewilderment. And he wasn’t alone; the nearby knights shared his sentiment.

Within the estate, only two individuals remained composed—

Ezekiel, leaning against a mountain of sunweed, and Agnes, standing expressionlessly by his side.

“Are you saying that the Inspector of the Imperial Magic Tower not only uncovered the high-ranking fiend responsible for the erosion phenomenon but also managed to eliminate it?”

“As you can see, that’s correct,” Agnes nodded, her face devoid of emotion.

“Huh.”

Valken’s gaze alternated between Ezekiel and his hand.

Inside a cubic block of ice was Tirbi’s severed head; it was utterly unbelievable.

While Ezekiel’s magic prowess had been evident from his initial presentation, he was, above all, of common birth and a novice inspector without a shred of experience.

In other words, Ezekiel lacked practical experience.

This dispatch to Ruiple was his first field assignment, meant to be the inaugural entry in his career record.

Yet, how could one easily believe that such a Ezekiel had managed to identify a high-ranking fiend from the outset? Moreover, he had reportedly eliminated it single-handedly, without any assistance.

Eliminating a high-ranking fiend was quite an impressive feat; it was incomparable to disposing of a low-level demonic beast.

A nearby apprentice knight interjected, “Is this truly factual?”

Agnes met his gaze impassively. “Yes. Are you implying that the Imperial Magic Tower is reporting falsely?”

“That’s not what I meant, but…”

The apprentice knight’s voice trailed off.

Regardless of the internal affairs of the Imperial Magic Tower, its reputation remained formidable. They wouldn’t dare to falsify information, especially with the name of Hedera, the Tower Master, at stake.

It was then that Ezekiel exhaled a long stream of smoke, “I’m not idle enough to waste time on lies.”

A peculiar silence descended upon the knights and mages, while the village chief, caught awkwardly in the middle, could only read the room.

Eventually, the old man spoke with a smile, “Ho ho ho… In the end, things have turned out well, and with such distinguished guests gathered, is there any reason for this tension? We barely have enough time to enjoy the festivities properly.”

“Hmm.”

“In any case, it’s undeniable that the Inspector has been of great help. He even recovered the demonic sword.”

“Demonic sword?”

“Yes. Sir Knight, please look here.”

On the ground lay the enormous greatsword Tirbi had wielded. A sinister dark mana seeped from it like a mirage, its appearance clearly malevolent at a glance.

“Are you saying the Inspector retrieved this?”

“Indeed. It’s said to be a sword that burrows into human fears and shatters the mind. While we couldn’t even approach it, the inspector moved it with ease.”

At that moment, another apprentice knight spoke up, “I simply cannot understand this.”

It was then that Agnes heaved a deep sigh at those words, “Do you still not accept it?”

“It’s not a matter of understanding or acceptance, but a fundamental question. Didn’t you just explain that this demonic sword burrows into human fears?”

“That’s correct. That’s how it was assessed.”

“But you’re saying the Imperial Magic Tower’s Inspector held it without any issue. Isn’t it suspicious that a human could wield a demonic sword without any adverse effects?”

“………….”

“I’m suggesting that he might be closer to a fiend than a human.”

Surprisingly, it was a logical argument; not a mere quibble, but a reasonable doubt.

Everyone suddenly gazed at Ezekiel with fear in their eyes; they had already been greatly deceived by Tirbi. It was only natural for them to fear a repeat of such an incident.

 “………………”

Agnes too silently observed Ezekiel.

It wasn’t that she doubted him; she simply knew that only Ezekiel himself could explain this situation.

However, Ezekiel crunched on a new sunweed, “It’s not particularly difficult. I merely tamed it.”

“Tamed it? Could you explain that?” Valken asked calmly.

“This sword burrows into human fears, right?”

“That is correct.”

“I abandoned fear long ago. Pain has its limits, but fear does not.”

“That is an absurd claim. No human can have complete control over their emotions.”

“Well, I’m standing right in front of you,” Ezekiel responded confidently.

And Valken was left speechless by such a bold declaration.

Just then.

“Sir Valken,” a nearby apprentice knight whispered quietly.

“A human devoid of fear is suspicious. Shouldn’t we verify this somehow?”

Valken nodded silently.

Regardless of Ezekiel’s confident demeanor, the Inspector certainly didn’t appear to be an ordinary human. If anything, he seemed more akin to some type of fiend.

“Sir Valken, I have an idea.”

But before Valken could issue any command, the apprentice knight lunged forward; his charge was aimed directly at Ezekiel’s secretary.

In that brief moment, Valken understood the apprentice’s intention.

‘He plans to feign a lethal attack to gauge the reaction.’

It was reckless, but not without merit. Even the strongest individual would feel a flicker of fear when a cherished companion faced mortal danger.

However, at the same time.

The instant Valken met Ezekiel’s blue eyes.

“………….?”

A peculiar vision began to unfold before Valken.

It was akin to foresight, something only extremely skilled knights could experience—a premonition piecing together all surrounding clues to predict imminent events.

From all directions.

Blue trajectories extended towards the apprentice knight; they likely represented the paths of Ezekiel’s impending magic.

Valken understood. This couldn’t be allowed to continue. The only future awaiting the apprentice was becoming a corpse resembling a porcupine, impaled by ice.

“…………….!”

Startled, Valken drew his sword.

Shraaak─!

Just as the apprentice’s blade was about to touch Agnes’s chin, Valken sliced through his own ally’s wrist with lightning speed; it was a blindingly fast upward strike.

And all this sequence unfolded in less than a second.

“…Huh, huh?”

As the severed wrist flew high through the air, blood spurted like a fountain; the apprentice knight’s eyes widened in shock. He had only intended to threaten, but to lose his wrist—he could never have imagined such an outcome. The shock must have been immense.

“My wrist, my wrist…! Aaaargh!”

As he collapsed, writhing in pain and shock.

“Ah.”

That was the extent of Ezekiel’s reaction.

The Inspector nodded, exhaling smoke.

“Valken, your quick judgment saved the apprentice knight.”

“………….”

“Ensure you focus more on his training from now on.”

Valken clenched his jaw tightly.

There wasn’t much to say. Ezekiel was far more impressive than expected, and it was also true that the apprentice knight had acted recklessly. It was a relief that it had only ended with a severed wrist.

Crrrck─!

Suddenly, the demonic sword began to writhe, emitting an eerie sound. It was attempting to devour the apprentice knight’s fear.

“Th-that thing’s going berserk!”

“What should we do? Should we run? It’s dangerous!”

Just as the dark mana surged upwards, Ezekiel casually stepped on the greatsword, as if treading on a fallen leaf.

“Stay still.”

Clang…

The greatsword immediately fell silent, as if it were a mouse caught by a cat. With so many eyes fixed upon it, everyone was greatly astonished.

“He subdued a demonic sword…?”

“How could he do it so effortlessly!”

Ezekiel merely furrowed his brow at the commotion, “Didn’t I already say? I tamed it.”

As if it was too easy to explain, as if there was no need to explain at all.

.

.

.

.

.

Ezekiel’s group was the first to return to the capital first.

“…………..”

Valken stared blankly at their retreating figures.

Ezekiel, who had been given a week to complete the bet in Ruiple, left for the capital in just one day. Moreover, he had even identified and resolved the cause of the erosion phenomenon.

Even so, the reason Valken remained behind was…

…naturally, because he found it difficult to accept his defeat in the wager.

“Sir Valken, what should we do now?”

“We still have six days. We must try something.”

With the root cause gone, it would be challenging to reverse the outcome even with six days of effort. Valken felt nothing but dejection.

‘That Ezekiel is far from ordinary.’

The more he observed, the more astonishing Ezekiel’s abilities seemed. Truly remarkable.

Come to think of it, even though he was a commoner, the fact that he had no experience was so suspicious that it was unbelievable; there was an urgent need to investigate and gather more information.

And another matter.

His liege, the Second Imperial Princess Hedera.

“…………”

Because Valken lost the wager, Hedera would have to grant Ezekiel access to the first floor of the Imperial Treasury.

It was Valken’s mistake; no one else’s but Valken’s.

Yes, Valken’s mistake. Valken’s fault.

That was the cause.

“Damn it all…”

Crunch—

Inside his helmet, Valken gritted his teeth.

~~••~~••~~

A week had passed.

And finally the day to announce the Ruiple results had dawned.

The Second Imperial Princess of the Empire, Hedera.

She greeted the morning with weary eyes.

“Hah…”

She took a deep breath, trying to calm her troubled mind.

…Ezekiel, did he truly win the wager?

That was the woman’s sole concern.