LIGHTNOVELSTORY Chapter 105 - Wow, Rewards Pour In Aplenty! (5)
✦ Chapter 105 – Wow, Rewards Pour In Aplenty! (5) ✦
「Translator – Creator」
𒋝𒋝𒋝𒋝𒋝
‘The 0th Princess…’
For some reason, the thought wouldn’t leave him.
The princess he’d desperately tried to protect.
The one he’d ultimately failed to save.
The Emperor had turned a blind eye to her fate, and the Demon King himself had taken a strange interest in her.
The memories were painful, sharp shards of regret piercing his heart.
Could he have done more? Could he have saved her?
“…………….…”
He shook his head, pushing the thoughts away.
The past was the past.
And besides, the “Goddess” the assassins spoke of couldn’t possibly be the 0th Princess.
He wasn’t a fool.
He wouldn’t allow baseless assumptions to distract him from his duty.
He needed to focus on the present.
Meanwhile, the situation had calmed down.
“Oh, he was the one who helped us.”
“A wizard of the Imperial Magic Tower who uses ice?”
“We will never forget this kindness.”
The frog girls had an endearing quality to them.
They looked like young girls and spoke with formal politeness, which made them even more charming.
Greta, the Black Tower Master, quietly nodded.
“It seems the Inspector is indeed a noble person.”
As everyone gathered around Ezekiel, eager to express their thanks, he raised a hand, stopping them in their tracks.
“Thank you, but please step back. Something has come to mind.”
The battle, despite its brevity, had ignited something within him. His body felt invigorated, his control over his ice magic sharper, more refined. He felt an overwhelming urge to unleash his power, to give form to the inspiration that surged within him.
“Has he… gained an epiphany?” Greta asked, surprise evident in her voice.
She placed the disc on the ground and gestured for the frog-women to move back.
*Ssssss—*
Ezekiel focused his will, drawing upon his mana, unleashing tendrils of icy energy.
‘Those assassins’ words… I need to forget them, for now…’
It wasn’t difficult.
He was a master of focus, of control.
He directed his attention to the disc, to the empty section meant for ice.
He needed to create something worthy of filling that space. Something beautiful.
He closed his eyes, dissecting his own ice magic, exploring its depths, pushing its boundaries. He wasn’t concerned with power or destructive force. He hadn’t even fully visualized the final form. Right now, all that mattered was the process, the exploration.
*Srrrk─ Srrrrk─*
His icy mana, responding to his will, began to writhe, to take shape.
It shimmered, pulsated, a living entity dancing before his closed eyes.
The mana, fused with his ice energy, began to take form, guided by his intent.
Then, as if a veil had been lifted, he saw it.
“…Flow,” he whispered, his voice barely audible.
The blueprints and imagery in his mind aligned.
He struggled to retain that image in his mind. He was in the process of combining mana and the ice energy.
‘…Just how many magic circles will I need?’
Ezekiel pushed the thought aside, focusing instead on the task at hand.
If he needed more, he’d create more. The sheer number of magic circles was inconsequential to someone of his level.
Over twenty intricate magic circles shimmered around him, their patterns complex and precise.
“Haa…”
A single breath.
He channeled his mana, activating the intricate network of runes and symbols he’d woven into existence.
*Whoosh!*
Like a fuse ignited, his mana coursed through the magic circles, transforming their ethereal forms from colorless outlines to vibrant shades of blue; the air hummed with power, a symphony.
*Humm─!*
*Humm─!*
A resonating hum, tangible, almost audible, filled the air, a sensation that any mage would recognize. His mana reserves were depleted, but he didn’t care. He could feel it. He knew he’d succeeded.
*Rumble… Rumble… Rumble…*
In front of everyone’s eyes, something blue surged upward with grand force.
It was so large it was hard to believe it was made with magic, resembling terrain that had always been there.
A wave of cold air swept through.
*Crack─ Crick, Crack, Crack─ Crack, Crack, Crack, Crack─!*
A frozen waterfall.
A towering wall of ice, shimmering under the sunlight, cascaded endlessly downward, each crystalline shard crashing against the frozen ground below, creating a mesmerizing display of frozen beauty.
It was magnificent, breathtakingly beautiful, yet strangely… gentle. The shattered ice fragments, swirling around the base of the waterfall like a fine mist, added to its ethereal beauty, captivating their senses.
“…………….….”
Everyone stood in silent awe, captivated by the spectacle.
It was inevitable.
A waterfall… of ice… flowing endlessly, defying the very nature of its element.
A frozen torrent, a perpetual cascade.
It was a masterpiece of unparalleled perfection that could only induce awe.
“Greta.”
At some point, he called out to the Black Tower Master. She had been entranced but now looked at him.
“What do you think? Is this worthy of being stored in the disc?”
Greta did not respond verbally.
Instead, she activated the disc.
…Ever since becoming the Black Tower Master, Greta, the witch who’d suffered persecution for her very nature, had harbored a deep, burning desire.
She’d been ostracized, vilified for her affinity for dark magic.
But through it all, she’d clung to a dream, a vision that had sustained her, that had fueled her relentless pursuit of knowledge, even at the cost of her own life force.
She’d yearned to create something beautiful, something that would transcend the prejudice, the hatred she’d endured.
A landscape of endless desire.
And this vision… it was anything but ordinary…
She had always wished for a world where all mages lived in harmony, where a landscape showcasing the distinct elements in unity exemplified ‘harmony.’
Thus, she had gathered her dreams.
The fiery mountain range, frozen in time, its peaks ablaze with eternal flames.
The lake of darkness, its depths reflecting the starry sky above.
The wind spirit, a wisp of condensed air, dancing gracefully amidst the trees…
And now, completing the scene, the flowing frozen waterfall.
The landscape Greta had dreamed of, yearned for, was finally complete.
It was the moment her dream became reality. The sight of all the elements shining brilliantly together was nothing short of mesmerizing.
Words couldn’t do it justice.
All one could do was shiver in awe.
“Ah…” Greta closed her eyes, savoring the moment.
It was inevitable.
With her eyes closed, the scenery was even more vivid, something she could feel with her entire being. The vortex of elements enveloped her.
The entire world was made of elements.
Happiness slowly seeped into her.
The flame mountain range was warm, the ice waterfall cool. The dark lake seemed ready to reflect the sky like a mirror.
When Greta finally reopened her eyes, tears were streaming down her face.
“…Thank you.”
Those were her first words.
Greta gazed at Ezekiel.
She had not expected success, but the outcome was a resounding triumph. Thus, she was more grateful now than at any other moment in her life.
“Inspector, this disc… it’s yours.”
The landscape she could have never completed with her own power, but one she had always wished to witness alive.
Now that her wish had been fulfilled, ownership no longer mattered.
“Make it the property of the Black Tower. I’ll just keep it in my custody.”
At his words, Greta quietly nodded.
She slowly raised her arms, surrendering herself to the landscape. Feeling the embrace of the five elements, she pressed her pointed hat down and basked in the joy.
Tears continued to stream down her face, but they were tears of joy, tears of gratitude.
Someday…
Someday…
She hoped all mages could coexist in harmony.
Just like the elements in this magnificent, impossible landscape.
• • • ₪ • • •
Afterward…
They swiftly returned to the Imperial Magic Tower.
“The landscape on the disk was truly moving! How wonderful it would be if Lady Greta was the Master of the Black Tower! Everyone would view the Black Tower with kinder eyes!”
“Indeed. At least we’ve seen its potential. The Black Tower will become happier.”
It seemed Agnes and Tether had grown a bit closer.
They discussed the impressive landscape on the disc all the way back, and it was no idle talk. Greta was bound to become happier from now on.
‘Because she agreed to become the Black Tower Master once more.’
Ezekiel trusted Greta.
He believed she would not only rebuild the Black Tower, but also become a valuable ally.
He looked forward to the future, to the prospect of working alongside her.
But for now, he had much to do. Time seemed to fly by.
.
.
.
.
.
“Inspector, it’s a modest gift, but…!”
“May I have a moment of your time, Inspector?”
There were many rewards and gifts, but due to his rising fame, many more people were coming to the Magic Tower just to meet him.
It was unlike the previous aftermath of his achievements in the Ruipel region. This time, having accomplished something at the presentation had caused a large ripple effect.
However, Ezekiel wasn’t at the Imperial Magic Tower.
‘Today’s the day.’
He set foot on the imperial grounds at dawn.
Even he didn’t know how much he had been looking forward to this day.
He’d meticulously inspected Greta’s disc, making sure the elemental landscape within remained stable. He’d also spent countless hours refining his mana control, preparing his body for what was to come.
All for one purpose.
To receive the Sun Elixir.
‘Finally… today…’
He gazed at the audience chamber in the distance.
The highest authority in the Empire, the Emperor.
The day had finally come for him to receive the Sun Elixir from the Emperor.
And to his surprise…
Solana was there to greet him.
— End of Chapter —
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