When I was about to die, I proposed to five cruel princesses.

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"…They've completely turned it upside down."

The imperial palace I visited again was entirely different from the one in my memories.

Back then, during the time when the empire's destruction was being discussed due to the demon realm, the palace had been as precarious as a leaf on the edge of a cliff. Now, however, every sight that met my eyes was fascinating.

A statue bearing the sun's emblem, towering over most buildings, an artificial garden that proved the prosperity enjoyed after the portal to the demon realm was closed, and gold decorations adorning every corner of the buildings… This was the current imperial palace.

Agnes glanced at me.

"What's with that reaction, like you've been to the palace before or something."

"Yeah. I wish this was my first visit too."

— Ezekiel! Where is Ezekiel? 

— Oh, Lord Ezekiel! Just this once…!

— I swear this is the last time, Ezekiel!

There was a time when I went in and out of the imperial palace dozens of times a day, but those certainly weren't happy memories.

After taking care of one task, ten more would pile up. In the midst of it all, guiding five princesses went beyond being a teacher and was almost like being a nanny. Managing members of the imperial secret organization was also my duty.

Agnes and I walked along an elegant path decorated with flowers.

"Well, the imperial palace is more like an entire region itself. Otherwise, you might get lost like an idiot."

Whether it was a symptom of being a workaholic, Agnes seemed strangely happy when explaining something. I pretended not to notice and played along.

"Really? It's that big?"

"Just separating the areas where His Majesty the Emperor and the princesses reside, there are already 6 areas. There are even underground structures too."

"Wow, how smart."

"…It's nothing special."

Agnes brushed her short side bangs behind her ear.

As we kept walking, a wide training ground appeared on both sides.

Chack—! Chack—! 

On the left training ground, soldiers were simultaneously moving their spears and footwork in unison. A perfect formation without a single disruption. The perfect balance and symmetry was soothing to the eyes.

"Ceremonial training, is there some event coming up soon?"

"All the princesses except the Third Princess are currently away. They'll be returning to the palace the day after tomorrow, and this is the ceremonial formation to welcome them back."

"So currently only the Third Princess is in the palace."

"…Don't get any ideas. You won't run into her."

On the other hand, the soldiers in the right training ground were fiercely engaging in combat with wooden weapons. It didn't seem like just a mock battle.

"And that side is regular training. The erosion of mana has become serious recently, so this is in preparation for any contingencies."

"I don't recall asking about that."

"..."

At that, Agnes stopped walking and narrowed her eyes very thin. She was a woman who didn't understand jokes at all, which gave me a strange pleasure in teasing her.

She took out her notebook and scribbled something rapidly.

[You're not my type either.]

[Don't tell him anything.]

"…What's that about?"

"Nothing you need to know."

Agnes snapped as she closed her notebook with a thud. Then she quickly gestured towards some imperial officials and soldiers approaching from afar.

"Over here. Take custody of this person. Quickly now."

As I started walking with the soldiers, I glanced back briefly.

"Agnes, let's at least greet each other if we meet again sometime."

"No. We absolutely will not meet again."

"There's no such thing as 'never' in this world."

I chuckled and took out the usual sunweed.

Your Majesty the Emperor, I wonder how you've been doing all this time?

◇──◆──◇

"…She really has a nasty temper."

I couldn't help but mutter that.

I was put, no, imprisoned in a very familiar accommodation.

An audience with the Emperor? An encounter with the princesses? I hadn't been able to do anything yet.

"This place hasn't changed one bit. Not at all."

The interior of the accommodation was extremely luxurious. From the impossibly high-end furniture to the fully stocked daily necessities. It was an accommodation called the "Palace of Penance" from when I was in the imperial palace.

Someone thrown into this place might think—

I don't want to leave. I want to stay here forever.

Yes, and that is why this place actually had no windows or exits. At some point when the thought of wanting to leave suddenly arises, that's when the elation slowly starts turning into horror.

I sank into the plush sofa and chewed on the sunweed.

Pop! 

A small burst in his mouth. At the same time, a thought surfaced.

"So they're keeping me detained first while deciding how to treat me?"

I tried to guess the Emperor's intentions.

First of all, the Emperor was almost omnipotent, knowing everything.

He raised five daughters he doted on. Then some guy came along and made the insane move of proposing to all five at once. On top of that, one daughter readily accepted the marriage proposal without knowing the details…

"…It's understandable that he hates me."

In fact, I should be grateful that he hasn't torn me apart.

It was around when I was having those sorts of thoughts.

Creeak—

The door opened, and a woman was ushered into the Palace of Penance.

A very familiar face. It was Agnes.

"...….."

Even after the door closed, Agnes just stood there awkwardly, unable to overcome her discomfort as her hands fidgeted and rapidly spun her cube.

"I understand," I nodded quietly. "You made a point of saying we'd never see each other again, so you must be really embarrassed to reunite like this so blatantly, right? I understand."

"…I was just given additional orders!"

Agnes refuted with a slightly flushed face. It was like a small bird fluffing its feathers to appear threatening, but not intimidating at all.

"I didn't know you could raise your voice. Interesting."

"It's the truth. The Third Princess will come to meet you herself tomorrow. I'm to observe you for just one more day."

"And here I thought you were quite experienced, but you're really just a rookie, huh."

"Excuse me?"

"Taking on additional assignments is a privilege of the lower-ranks."

"I'm not lower-rank. I'm just a new recruit."

Ah, so that's what it was.

I wondered why she was so fixated on work, but Agnes was simply a by-the-book new recruit. It was a moment when she looked a bit more like a baby bird.

In any case, I understood thanks to this. Agnes wasn't being so calm because she was overly experienced. She was just calm out of sheer obliviousness.

I asked as I chewed on a sunweed, "Agnes, do you know what this building is?"

"It is just regular accommodation, isn't it?"

"Seems it's your first time after all."

"…Weren't you only here about 10 minutes before me?"

Agnes stared at me with narrowed eyes.

"This is the Palace of Penance."

"…The Palace of Penance?"

I briefly explained about this place, from its structure to the fact that there was no ordinary way to escape.

Still expressionless, Agnes blinked her eyes a couple times.

"As far as I know, there is no such building inside the imperial palace."

"It's not something to brag about. And what would a lower-rank person know?"

"Even if that's true…. How do you know the imperial palace so intimately?"

"Who knows? More importantly, do you get cold easily?"

"I don't get cold easily. Why are you suddenly changing the subject—"

However, Agnes couldn't finish her words.

"That's a relief then."

Whoosh—!

The space was instantly dyed white in a flash.

It happened so quickly that Agnes couldn't sense any premonition, and simultaneously everything white was densely packed frost. With just a single breath, I had turned this place into an ice cavern.

Agnes asked while letting out a breath, "…What are you suddenly doing?"

"Look at this." 

Following my gaze, she was soon able to confirm.

It wasn't that the entire space had frozen over. Strangely, there were lines that the frost couldn't adhere to, spread out on the floor in a wide web-like pattern.

I placed my hands at the center and infused it with my mana. 

And responding to that, clusters of blue light floated up in the air. The wavering light took the form of lines and was eventually woven into letters.

『Announcement to the Palace of Penance.』

One, a total of three will be lodging at the Palace of Penance today. 

Two, reduce the number to two by tomorrow.

Three, if the above conditions are not met, the Palace of Penance will be destroyed.

Agnes, who had been expressionless the whole time, furrowed her brows slightly.

"…What is this?"

"I told you, we can't get out by normal means."

This may also be why the Third Princess held back her actions. She likely wished for an audience, but the Emperor ended up putting me in the Palace of Penance instead. In any case, I have to get out of here to meet the Princess.

On the other hand, Agnes continued speaking, "The destruction of the Palace of Penance… surely, you don't possibly mean…"

"Exactly what you're thinking. Total annihilation."

"That's impossible. I'm an imperial administrator."

"When you became an administrator, didn't you perhaps sign something about potential death in the line of duty, or a multiplied compensation for your family?"

"...….."

Agnes blinked vacantly. Well then.

"It's always something bizarre like this. Always unprecedented."

"Then are you saying I need to kill one of the other two to ensure my own survival?"

"Don't worry. Usually it's convicts facing execution that get sent in here."

Knock! Knock!

Then a knocking sound reverberated through the entire space.

"...…!"

Agnes furrowed her brow and jumped up from her seat. The ominous and tremendously powerful aura flowing in from beyond the door was the cause.

"This intense energy… Black magic…?"

She hurriedly flipped through her notebook.

"This is abnormal. Situations like this aren't covered at all in the manual…"

"Stop fussing and sit down."

I grabbed Agnes' wrist and made her sit beside him.

Of course, that didn't mean Agnes calmed down right away. Her entire life had been guided step-by-step according to manuals.

"This job is unjust, and now even my life is in danger. How can I stay calm in a situation like this? At the very least, I should secure a safe position beforehand."

"No, your current spot is the safest place here."

I leisurely crossed my arms and chewed on the sunweed.

In truth, contrary to its name, the Palace of Penance was closer to a forge than a place of repentance. It was a place where lives were thrown in to sever each other's breathing, and this was repeated endlessly to produce weapons.

In the past, amidst the countless repetitions, there was one boy who survived.

A weapon that endured the insulation of the smelting furnace and was finally tempered.

"The safest place inside the Palace of Penance. Where else but next to me?"

The weapon's name, Ezekiel.

To read all 150 episodes, patreon.com/Makima02