The Response to my Drunken Proposal was Surprisingly Good

✦ Chapter 103 – Wow, Rewards Pour In Aplenty! (3) ✦

「Translator – Creator」

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​A phenomenon where the entire forest freezes over was truly unusual. It was just as Greta was preparing for battle.

“Aaah!”

Something tumbled gracelessly from the sky, landing with a soft thud on the frozen ground. It wasn’t an object, but a person.

A young woman, to be more precise, her features vaguely resembling a rabbit.

*Thud!*

Three more figures descended from above, landing gracefully on the ice.

“Remember, the closer you feel to falling, the more you should lean into the descent.  I told you about this technique,” one of the women said, shaking her head.

Yes, yes…  My body just doesn’t seem to cooperate…”

“I’m glad you didn’t get seriously hurt.”

Greta’s gaze, however, focused not on the women, but on the man at the center. He seemed to be the key figure.

‘Strong.’

An overwhelming aura of cold surrounded him, meticulously controlled and refined. Even standing still, he emanated a sense of power that sent shivers down her spine.

With a sunweed in his mouth, he spoke.

“Freezing everything is quite exhausting.”

“…You…  you searched for me by freezing the entire forest?” Greta asked, incredulous. “I wouldn’t have imagined such a method… it’s almost unbelievable.”

“Well, what matters is that we found you unharmed.”

Finally, all eyes, including those of the man, turned to Greta.

*Crack, crack, crack―!*

As if it had never been frozen, the forest rapidly thawed, the ice retreating. To freeze and then unfreeze the entire forest—it was an impressive feat, even to Greta.

“Are you the Black Tower’s master?”

The man approached Greta.

“I am Ezekiel, inspector of the Imperial Magic Tower.”

“I’m just a witch. I used to be the master of the Black Tower.”

“Then we’ve found the right person.”

Ezekiel gestured towards the frozen forest guardian.

“Is that a friend? Should I thaw him out?”

“There’s no need.”

Greta’s reply was calm, but internally, she couldn’t help but be impressed.

‘To find me by covering the entire forest in ice?’

After spreading his enchanted ice indefinitely, he must have created a path as soon as he detected my presence. That’s the method he seems to have used. ℝΆ

…This was theoretically possible.

‘And this forest is filled with mana.’

To freeze even the constantly fluctuating mana? The extent of his ice manipulation was unfathomable. Even in the Blue Tower, she had never heard of anything like it.

It was then that the woman next to Ezekiel paid her respects.

“I am Seina, elder of the Blue Tower.”

“…Even an elder of the Blue Tower?”

Greta couldn’t possibly not know who Seina was.

Despite her young age, her achievements were remarkable, and her mastery over ice was sharp and cold, just like her personality.

Yet, by Ezekiel’s side, she seemed quite mild.

‘Incredible magic… and remarkable connections…’

As that thought crossed Greta’s mind…

“It is an honor to meet the Black Tower Master.”

“We are privileged to meet you.”

Ezekiel’s party, without exception, showed their respect. This naturally eased Greta’s guard.

Ezekiel himself also displayed proper etiquette.

“I used magic that may have been rude. I seek your understanding.”

“Without that magic, I would have been in far greater danger. I should be the one thanking you.”

Perhaps it was their respectful demeanor, or maybe it was simply Greta’s own fatigue, but the conversation flowed smoothly, without a hint of tension.

“I’d like to talk with the Black Tower Master.”

“Very well. My home is humble, but you’re welcome to join me.”

Led by Greta, they made their way toward a massive log cabin nestled amidst the trees.

• • •

Inside Greta’s cabin…

“…Teddy was…executed?”

“It’s true. As unbelievable as it may sound.”

Seina offered a reassuring smile, but Greta was still reeling from the news.

‘She didn’t even… resist?’

Given Teddy Divine’s personality, her downfall had been inevitable. But to be killed without putting up a fight… that was unexpected.

As Seina recounted the events that had transpired at the Black Tower, Greta’s gaze kept shifting toward Ezekiel.

It was only natural.

“When I heard about your success in the Ruiple region, I knew the Imperial Magic Tower must have sent a formidable inspector. But I never imagined… someone of this caliber.”

“You flatter me. I still have much to learn,” Ezekiel replied with a modest smile.

But perhaps he wasn’t being modest. Perhaps he truly believed that he could achieve even greater heights.

The conversation continued.

They discussed Ezekiel’s various accomplishments and eventually got to the main topic of secret techniques.

Hearing about these secret techniques, Greta asked,

“You want the secret technique I’ve been researching?”

“It’s essential.”

“Giving it isn’t difficult, but… Hmm…”

Greta fished something out of a cauldron.

What appeared was a disc. It was divided into segments like a pizza, with various elements embedded on it.

*Ribbit?*

*Ribbit, ribbit, ribbit, ribbit!*

Suddenly, frogs covered Greta, vehemently trying to stop her.​

A telepathic channel quickly opened between Ezekiel and his companions.

— Master, what are those frogs saying?

— How should I know?

— But Master, you’re all-knowing!

— I’m… somewhat proficient in interpreting non-human vocal patterns. Perhaps I could… apply a translation filter to our eardrums?

They all stared at Tether, their expressions conveying a silent, ‘You?’

Tether sighed, a hint of exasperation in her voice. 

— You must think very little of me….

She proceeded to weave a thin layer of mana over their eardrums, acting as a real-time translator for the frogs’ croaking.

“What are you telling the outsider? This disc has been Greta’s long-held aspiration!”

“It’s true that it’s my aspiration, but keeping it in my hands is futile. There’s no way forward.”

“But… to give it away to…?”

Greta gently hushed the chorus of concerned croaking. 

“I don’t have much time left. My only wish is to see it completed. To cling to it any longer… would be stubbornness, even selfishness.”

It seemed Greta had already made up her mind.

“We don’t understand. Giving it to these… strangers…?”

“Greta! Please reconsider!”

“Do not worry too much. I’m merely showing it.”

Ignoring the frogs’ continued protests, Greta turned toward Ezekiel, holding out the disc.

“Inspector of the Imperial Magic Tower, do you see a way to fill this?”

She asked the question casually, but then gasped in surprise.

The intensity in Ezekiel’s eyes was startling. As if he’d been transported to another world.

‘Taxidermy Magic…’

Ezekiel immediately recognized the nature of the disc.

Within its sections, flames danced, darkness swirled, winds howled. Pure, unadulterated elemental energies, preserved within the disc.

This was no simple channeling of elemental power.

This was something far more complex, far more intricate. Greta had captured a specific moment in time, preserving these elemental essences in their purest form.

Taxidermy magic, preserving not life, but the very essence of elemental energy.

Greta had evidently poured a lot of effort into this. The craftsmanship was beyond what a high-difficulty technique could describe.

“Ice is the only element I couldn’t capture,” Greta muttered.

Seina’s eyes widened.

“Why is that? Capturing the ice element should be the easiest task.”

“Ordinary ice just melts away. Simply capturing ice that doesn’t melt wasn’t enough. I believed there was a more exquisite form of freezing.”

Ice that doesn’t melt is just that: it doesn’t melt. Visually, it’s indistinguishable from ordinary ice.​

Greta’s words conveyed her regret. Seina, who had a deep affinity for ice, also roughly understood her sentiment.

It was then that Ezekiel spoke.

“Black Tower Master, what kind of ice did you have in mind?”

Greta nodded slowly.

“I envisioned… a frozen waterfall.”

As if wanting to picture the image she had in mind in detail, the Black Tower Master closed her eyes briefly.

“Ice is inherently static, unchanging. It cannot move or flow. But what if the ice could flow? What could be more beautiful than that?”

Ezekiel quietly rubbed his chin, pondering the concept of flowing ice.

Flowing… ice?

It was Seina who broke the silence first.

“Incorporating a flowing element into ice is a nearly impossible feat even in the Blue Tower. For it to be on the scale of a waterfall, the difficulty would be exponentially higher.”

“I know very well that it’s almost impossible. That’s why I called it stubbornness.”

“It’s challenging. No, it’s unattainable.”

Tether and Agnes also wore conflicted expressions.

The more they thought about it, the more they realized just how absurdly high the difficulty was. Fire burns, wind spreads, ice remains frozen.

These were the basics. But how could one make ice flow?

At that moment, Ezekiel returned the disc.

Greta nodded, as if she understood.

“…So, it’s impossible after all?”

Ezekiel did not answer with words.

Instead, he focused his will, drawing upon his mana, and unleashed a wave of icy energy…