“……So, are you saying you’re curious about when Lord Sigmund will accept Master of the Tower—no, Lord Heinz?”
“Yes.”
At Julios’s incredulous expression, Heinz nodded confidently.
“You are the Wing of Prophecy and a Gilead, so you can see the future, right? Check my future through your dreams. If you can’t sleep, I’ll cast sleep magic on you endlessly. I’ll make sure you can never open your eyes until you see my future.”
Julios’s carefully maintained smile cracked slightly at Heinz’s brazen display, as though he were bestowing a great kindness.
Suppressing the urge to massage his throbbing left temple, Julios shook his head.
“The future isn’t something I can see at will. It comes to me unexpectedly, even for myself. Most of the time, it concerns Genos, as the power of Gilead is meant to protect him.”
“Which is exactly why you should see my future.”
“Pardon?”
“If I become Lord Sigmund’s subordinate again, I might work for Genos, right? I’m the greatest magician in the history of the Magic Empire. Someone as exceptional as me could align with Genos. What could be more important than that?”
Not only the Empire’s Wings but also dragons were present.
Magicians were far from lacking as well. In fact, the most powerful magician currently, Callisto, was aiding Genos.
In short, Heinz’s absence wouldn’t make much of a difference. If anything, it might become more cumbersome.
‘Of course, that’s not something I can say out loud.’
Although Julios didn’t know Heinz well, it took only a few conversations to realize that Heinz lived on his own sense of self-importance.
The young—at least by Heinz’s standards—Callisto being considered on par with him would certainly not sit well.
‘Seriously, why does this great magician trouble himself looking for me after causing a ruckus? He’d be better off apologizing to Dietrian.’
Once again, Julios swallowed his true feelings.
After leaving the realm of transcendence, Heinz started hovering around the Genos imperial family.
It was true he sought out Sigmund, but for some reason, going directly felt like a loss.
After much deliberation, Heinz decided to prepare a gift for Sigmund. Using the gift as an excuse, he planned to start a conversation with him.
The gift for Sigmund was none other than—
A love potion.
Yes, the very love potion that accidentally ended up being consumed by Leticia, causing trouble for Dietrian.
He had intended to present the potion to Sigmund and discuss renewing their contract, but things went awry. Instead of Romiya, Leticia ended up drinking the potion.
Losing the potion in such a ridiculous manner left Heinz utterly deflated.
After all the effort he’d put into making it!
To make matters worse, Heinz had even tested the potion on Banessa.
Of course, he needed to ensure the potion worked on the most powerful beings.
Banessa was among the strongest individuals Heinz knew, boasting life force so immense he was practically a monster.
The idea was that if it worked on Banessa, it would work on anyone.
Incidentally, the version Banessa drank was the kind that caused him to cling to the first person he laid eyes on after ingesting it….
By some ill fate, it was Callisto who opened the office door.
The reaction of Banessa, upon seeing Callisto, and Callisto, upon witnessing Banessa’s transformation, hardly needs elaboration.
To summarize, Banessa fainted, and Callisto barely suppressed his gag reflex before challenging Heinz to a duel.
A duel with a greenhorn?
It was like racing against a toddler who had just learned to walk.
Heinz, uninterested in such petty antics, flew directly to Genos without hesitation.
The notion that Callisto’s enraged state had slightly—just slightly—unnerved him was surely an illusion.
After all, he had poured so much effort into creating that potion, only to waste it completely.
If the potion were the only casualty, Heinz could tolerate the frustration. But the real issue was Dietrian, who was now searching for him with fire in his eyes.
Even Sigmund, whose descendant was actively tormenting Heinz, merely clicked his tongue and remarked, “You shouldn’t have done something to deserve it,” before walking off.
It was almost comical how Sigmund busied himself piping macaroon batter to make something for Romiya, like “Macaron King” or whatever it was called. The scene was utterly exasperating.
“That shameless lizard. Just the other day, he threw me out because he wanted to make a giant macaron—what nonsense! Who puts ten strawberries in a macaron? That’s a cake, not a macaron! And why is a dragon even making macarons? Doesn’t the Genos palace have chefs? Surely there must be bakers!”
The one most aggrieved in this whole ordeal, however, was Julios. Thanks to his precognitive abilities, he had been ensnared by Heinz.
As if on cue, Julios’s visions grew sharper today, and glimpses of scenes surfaced intermittently as he listened to Heinz’s complaints.
For example, Banessa clinging to Callisto’s leg while tearfully calling him “brother,” or Callisto gritting his teeth as he chopped down on the back of Banessa’s neck.
‘This is unfit for the Tower Master. Let’s pretend it’s not real.’
Feeling a twinge of guilt towards Callisto, Julios resolved to deny the reality of his visions.
To distract himself from the intrusive images, Julios spoke up.
“Not long ago, the capital’s finest baker was invited to the palace. Dietrian promised Sigmund to bring them. With the baker’s help, Sigmund will likely complete the macaron cake—or rather, the giant macaron—soon. Perhaps you could discuss renewing the contract with him once he’s less occupied?”
Heinz’s face lit up with hope.
“You’ve already seen my future? Does that mean Lord Sigmund will accept me as his subordinate after finishing the macaron cake?”
“Oh, no, I’m afraid it wasn’t a prophecy. As I mentioned, most of my visions pertain to Genos’s fate. Of course, if you were to side with Genos, it would be of great help, but my abilities are somewhat different. My foresight is mostly to prepare for calamities that threaten Genos.”
“So, you can’t see my future now? Or even in the future?”
“It’s hard to say definitively. Still, since you’ve come all this way, I’ll be sure to let you know if I dream of anything that might help….”
Just then.
The images of Banessa, clinging persistently to life and muttering “brother” in his sleep, and Callisto glaring at him while grinding his teeth, vanished. A new, unfamiliar scene filled Julios’s mind.
<Hello! How can a cat be so affectionate? Are you sure you’re a cat? Maybe you’re a puppy?>
It was Romiya, holding a black-furred cat with golden eyes.
<Meow!>
The cat was so docile it could have passed for a puppy in disguise.
Romiya gasped in delight as she watched Sigmund, in feline form, nuzzle her arm. The scene ended with Romiya carefully stroking the cat’s back.
‘Did I just see the future?’
It was a fleeting moment.
Yet, it burned vividly into his memory, as all genuine visions did. The feeling was unmistakable. However, it was so brief that Julios hesitated to confirm it aloud.
“What? What is it? Did something happen? Did you see something?” Heinz pressed urgently.
Heinz asked urgently. Julios snapped back to reality.
Seeing Heinz’s anxious expression, Julios thought he should at least convey what he had seen.
“I… saw a cat.”
“A cat?”
“I saw Lady Romiya holding a cat. She seemed to find it very adorable.”
Julios continued.
“It didn’t seem like an ordinary cat. As far as I know, cats usually reject the touch of strangers… but that cat was different. It was very affectionate toward Lady Romiya.”
“Oh, is that so?”
Heinz’s face lit up. He then fell into brief contemplation.
“A cat… Lady Romiya liked the cat… Then I should give her a cat as a gift.”
“You’re planning to gift her a cat?”
“You said Lady Romiya liked it. Lord Sigmund likes anything Lady Romiya likes. He has no backbone. No sense of loyalty, either.”
“…Excuse me?”
“As soon as he reunited with his ex-wife, he handed me, his contractor, over to Lord Kaiten, didn’t he? That’s because he has no loyalty.”
Heinz’s words were similar yet subtly different from what Julios knew.
Even if he asked for clarification, it wouldn’t resolve the discrepancies, so Julios decided to keep silent.
“Fine. I’ll show that unfaithful lizard what loyalty is. That cat—what does it look like? Do you know where it lives?”
“I’m not sure about that. I just remember its fur was black, and its eyes were golden.”
“Black fur and golden eyes?”
Heinz clicked his tongue.
“Somehow, it feels unlucky. Is it because it resembles Lord Sigmund?”
“Haha….”
“Well, anyway.”
Heinz grinned and stood up.
“Thanks for your help. I’ll make sure to repay this debt. I’m a great magician, after all. Great magicians are precise about settling debts.”
“Haha. Your words are more than enough….”
Debts aside, your immediate departure would be the most helpful thing.
“Just wait a bit. Once I settle things with Lord Sigmund, I’ll solve your worries as well.”
“I don’t really have any worries….”
“You’re in unrequited love, aren’t you? For an incredibly long time, too. And the other person has no idea. Am I right?”
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