The Tower Master mumbled in confusion. The Holy Empire already had a master.
“What about Saint Leticia? And now a new emissary of the goddess is to appear?”
The Mage Empire, with all its developed magic, still lagged behind the Holy Empire and the Principality of Genos in one aspect. It was foresight, the ability to predict the future.
“Foresight only shows a vague future through the flow of the stars. It’s impossible to know for sure….”
Unlike Gilead of the Principality, who could predict fragments of the future with precision, or the oracle of the Holy Empire, who could ascertain the future through the goddess’ words, foresight could only reveal the broader picture.
“If only the new Tower Master were here, we could make much more accurate judgments.”
The future shown by the stars was always so vague that the interpreter’s skill was essential. Callisto, being a master of all magic, was also exceptional at interpreting foresight.
“When exactly do you plan on returning?”
The Tower Master wiped tears from his wrinkled hands.
He had spent his life serving as the Tower Master and had a modest retirement plan in mind. He wanted to spend the rest of his life away from the gloomy magic tower, in a villa with a view of the sea.
Unfortunately, that dream had been shattered by the next Tower Master, who was neglecting the Mage Empire.
“I suppose I should inform the Empire of this.”
After wiping away the tears of sorrow, the Tower Master wrote a letter to Callisto, who was using his loyalty to Saint Leticia as an excuse to commit elder abuse.
The pen that had been lying on the floor floated up with a whirr and trembled as it scribbled words onto the paper.
After a while, the Tower Master folded the completed letter in midair and whistled sharply.
Boom―.
A loud noise followed the Tower Master’s signal. The sound grew closer and closer, eventually accompanied by a tremor.
Though the window frames shook violently, the Tower Master remained calm. He patted his aching back and approached the balcony.
「What’s going on?」
Below the balcony, something enormous was gazing up at the Tower Master. Its yellow eyes were as big as the Tower Master’s body. The Tower Master waved the letter he had just written.
“I need to get this to the Holy Empire quickly. Valenos, deliver this letter to your master.”
「My master? Surely you don’t mean…」
“Yes, Callisto, of course.”
At the name Callisto, Valenos flinched. The look in his eyes even conveyed a fear of wanting nothing to do with that name. Regardless, the Tower Master continued speaking slowly.
“This letter contains very important information, so move as quickly as you can. Unless you want another ‘lesson’ from Callisto like before.”
Crack.
Instead of replying, Valenos stomped the ground with his horn. Through his “education,” he had learned that it was better to obey orders quickly than to complain.
Valenos, the Demon of the Desert.
He was once considered one of the strongest monsters in the desert. He had even been the very creature that Josephina had commanded to attack the Principality.
Valenos, following Josephina’s orders to attack the Principality, had encountered an unexpected obstacle in Heden.
Leticia, the only saint chosen by the goddess.
Reading her power, Valenos had immediately backed down. To distance himself from Leticia as quickly as possible, he fled to the Mage Empire.
The mages of the Mage Empire traditionally paid little attention to monsters. As long as they didn’t bother the mages, monsters could live as they pleased.
So Valenos spent a rather satisfying period in the Mage Empire. The quality of the desert might have been lower, but the freedom was greater than in the Holy Empire.
“You must be the one Saintess made retreat, Valenos.”
However, the peaceful life didn’t last long, unfortunately.
The one who charged in with burning eyes for Leticia’s sake, Callisto, arrived.
Valenos was flustered, but quickly regained composure. As long as it wasn’t the Saintess, he could handle it.
So, he charged at Callisto.
“You’re quite the fool. They call you the demon of the desert, but your head seems rather slow. How did you even detect the Saintess’s power with that dull mind of yours?”
Despite his resistance, Callisto easily subdued Valenos. After that, there came a harsh time Valenos never wanted to remember.
“I’ll spare your life. Become the hands and feet of the Tower Master over there. Do whatever he commands.”
“Lord Callisto! The Tower Master, you say! I am no longer the Tower Master! You’re the Tower Master now, aren’t you!”
Ignoring the protests of the Tower Master, Callisto continued his warning to Valenos.
“If you try anything foolish, you’ll have to come with me to the Holy Empire. My sister rules over the ‘darkness.’ She’ll show a lowly darkness like you what true darkness really is.”
“Lord Callisto! Wait! You promised you’d stay in the tower this time! I’m retiring too. What am I supposed to do with my villa?”
Callisto didn’t care for the Tower Master’s complaints and tore up the teleportation scroll.
Valenos, terrified, stared at the dazed Tower Master.
After that, he suppressed his instincts as much as possible and quietly obeyed human orders.
‘How terrifying must the Dark Wing, who is said to be worse than that man, be? I must never get involved.’
That was the current state of the demon of the desert, Valenos.
* * *
The Dark Wing who terrified Valenos, Emperor Dana.
Lately, she had been under immense stress.
“When I was young, my mother told me something. She said she had a tremendous dream before I was born. Your Majesty, do you know what that dream was?”
“Tell me, Duke Alt.”
Dana wasn’t curious at all, but forced a smile as she asked.
At that, the Duke smiled with his eyes and swept his long hair behind one ear.
Dana had to clench her hands tightly to suppress the nausea that rose up momentarily.
“Hoho, it was this!”
The Duke pointed dramatically to the window as if he were performing in a comedy. He spoke, gazing at the sky where white clouds floated.
“The vast sky! A golden sun rose there. The brilliant sun descended to the ground, and soon a wave of gold spread across the whole world. It eventually covered the empire.”
“Aha.”
“My mother knew instinctively! This was a birth dream! A truly extraordinary child would be born!”
The Duke’s speech continued passionately.
“Yes. Indeed, her intuition was correct. After I was born, the Alt family flourished beyond measure! The wealth accumulated by our ancestors multiplied in an instant. And as you know, Your Majesty, with all that excess wealth, we even bought the title of duke.”
The Duke winked with one eye.
He was the perfect example of a handsome man with nothing but money.
He was also quite aware of how powerful his money, looks, and family were.
Suppressing the urge to slap that overly confident face, Dana thought.
I must endure.
The Alt family is the richest in the Holy Empire. They’re also one of the few ducal families.
Among them, the only unmarried young men who are dukes are Alt and Petero. So, for now, let’s try to focus on Duke Alt’s positive traits…
That was it.
Dana was currently searching for a husband.
“Sister, why are you in such a rush? There’s no need to force a marriage. Stay as you are, and if fate brings someone along, marry them then.”
“That’s easy for you to say. I’m the Emperor. To stabilize the Empire even a little sooner, I must marry quickly. You know how unstable a country without an heir can be, don’t you?”
“Sure, it’s good to have an heir, but it’s not absolutely necessary. You have me, after all. If you’re feeling pressured, make me the temporary heir. That way, the nobles will stop barking about it.”
“Really? Could I? Do you really want to become Emperor?”
“No, of course not. It’s just so you can use me as a shield. That way, no one will be able to complain about the lack of an heir. As a shield, I’m quite useful, aren’t I?”
What a jerk. Better not say anything more. Dana immediately gave up on expecting anything from her brother.
Even then, Callisto kept nagging her to let go of her sense of responsibility.
Whatever. Dana ignored him.
If she were the type to give up responsibility, she wouldn’t have become the Holy Empire’s Emperor in the first place.
“Your Majesty, please choose me. I swear, I will make you the happiest bride in the world. As in the dream my mother had, I will be the great light that shines upon the Holy Empire!”
Because of this damned sense of responsibility, Dana had begun looking for a husband herself.
It wasn’t easy.
She was the Emperor, after all, so she couldn’t marry just anyone. She had to find a partner of the right ‘rank.’
The problem was that there were practically no suitable candidates among the Holy Empire’s nobles. And she didn’t want to reach out to foreign countries either.
“I don’t know why you’re tolerating that, but don’t. It’s frustrating to watch. Aren’t there other Wings you can rely on?”
“Other Wings will help me?”
“Isn’t that obvious?”
Unconsciously, a man came to mind.
A knight from another country, with bright red hair, who just so happened to wield the power of fire. Simple and utterly foolish.
A man with whom she had built camaraderie over the past few months, while ridding the Empire of troublesome nobles. No, in fact, she thought something deeper than camaraderie had been growing between them, but it had ended absurdly.
That damn man. Dana’s face twisted in frustration.
‘You jerk. You acted so friendly while you were in the Empire, then left without even a proper goodbye, returning to your principality? If you come back… No! If you do, I’ll kill you. Get lost. Never come back!’
That was it.
Dana was secretly in love with Banessa.
It had somehow turned out that way.
Even after realizing her own feelings, Dana still couldn’t believe it. What was so attractive about that man, anyway? Yet, when she came to her senses, that’s how it was.
‘Maybe it was inevitable.’
Banessa was one of the only two people in this cold, vast palace she could lean on.
In a world where everyone had their eyes on her, Callisto and Banessa, as the same Wings, were the only ones with whom she could show her vulnerable side.
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