“Whether it’s nonsense or not, we’ll find out after an examination. You know I’m the Wing of Healing, right? There’s no one in Genos better at treating illnesses than I am, so just follow me without worry.”
“So why wouldn’t a Wing of Healing know that I’m perfectly fine…?”
“Whether I know or not, I do know you need a check-up. You told Lady Romiya that I was raising that cat, didn’t you? I’ve never seen that cat in my life. Clearly, something’s wrong with you, don’t you think?”
Kailas spoke calmly but rapidly, leaving Heinz no chance to respond.
Heinz was dumbfounded but couldn’t argue back. He knew Kailas was doing this deliberately to help Sigmund.
‘She must have figured out my identity with her Wing’s powers!’
Being sensitive to energy, Kailas must have realized Heinz possessed immense magical power the moment they met.
Very few beings, if any, could strut around Sigmund with such formidable magic. No, there was only one.
‘Are you trying to hinder me, a Grand Mage?’
Heinz glared sharply in warning, but Kailas didn’t flinch.
Even knowing that Heinz could crush her if he wished, she remained unfazed. It was as if no matter what he did, she was determined to carry out her mission.
And Heinz was the one who ended up unnerved.
‘Wings. Every one of them is crazy just like they were years ago. No growth. No progress whatsoever!’
Despite her composed appearance, he had long known that Kailas was as much a lunatic as any other Wing.
He had seen firsthand the calm yet terrifying deeds she carried out as Leticia’s Wing, standing beside Sigmund.
To say someone was crazy implied they had no sense of fear. Not that it mattered—fear or no fear, Heinz could crush her with raw power if he wanted…
“…!”
When Heinz urgently turned toward Romiya, he immediately abandoned any plans to threaten Kailas.
Sigmund, the source of all this trouble, pretended to be an innocent cat while casting a sly glance at Heinz. In that brief moment when Romiya wasn’t paying attention, Sigmund’s golden eyes flashed coldly, and his tiny feline fangs showed. Small as they were, their meaning wasn’t insignificant.
‘Touch Kailas, and you’re really dead today. Not just figuratively dead—literally dead.’
Heinz had teased Sigmund countless times. Sure, turning Sigmund into a cat today might have been pushing it a little further than usual, but he had crossed Sigmund countless times before.
Though Sigmund would erupt in anger each time, he had never inflicted direct harm. He might blow Heinz away like dust, but he never obliterated him.
This meant that all his past antics could be written off as malicious pranks, but if he hurt Kailas, there would be real consequences—an actual end.
‘Dragons and Wings, they’re all the same. Exhausting.’
What kind of connection did dragons and wings have to be like this?
And so, Heinz lost all his will to fight against the fearless Wing and the extreme threats of the dragon.
Kailas didn’t miss the opportunity. Holding Heinz firmly, she started rattling off words like a machine gun.
“Lady Romiya, I apologize for not being able to give you more information about the cat. As you can see, I must attend to this patient immediately. Given his nonsense, it’s clear he’s mentally unwell. Emergency treatment is necessary.”
“Ha. Mentally unwell, she says. Does she even know who I am? No, she knows exactly who I am! Ahahaha.”
“Who else could you be? An emergency patient who needs immediate care. Now stop talking and follow me quietly; you’re heavy enough to drag as it is.”
Treating a Grand Mage of over two hundred years like a mere patient, she was the epitome of boldness.
“Lady Romiya, I’ll see you at the Imperial Palace next time. Since this patient is such a handful, I won’t be able to see you off. Take care.”
And with that, slam.
Kailas and Heinz disappeared into the clinic.
The situation was resolved in the blink of an eye, leaving only Romiya staring at the closed door in confusion.
* * *
Dragging herself out of the hospital, Romiya sat down on a bench. The crimson glow of the sunset had already settled over the surroundings. Her blue eyes, filled with complex emotions, gazed at the cat nestled in her arms.
“Kailas said she doesn’t know you. What should I do? I really wanted to help you find your mother.”
Since earlier, Sigmund had buried his head deeply into Romiya’s arms. It looked as if he longed for his mother, making Romiya’s gaze soften with pity.
“Could it be that you’ve realized it too? That I might not be able to find your mother…”
Of course, that wasn’t the case. Sigmund had simply sensed that it was finally time to escape from Romiya and, once again, succumbed to instinct over reason.
‘Just ten more seconds. No, one more minute. No, five more minutes. No, ten more minutes… Damn it. Should I just run away after we reach the palace?’
His rational mind acknowledged how insane the idea was. Once they reached the palace, countless people would be able to uncover his identity.
He had gotten lucky with Kailas, but chances were slim that he’d be as fortunate there.
‘Especially Julios. He’s the problem.’
That overly kind fool would never be able to mask his expression when faced with Sigmund. He could already picture Julios awkwardly smiling, unsure of what to do. It would only be a matter of time before Romiya sensed something was off.
‘For the love of everything, learn how to hide your feelings from the woman you’re pining for.’
Well, the fact that Julios hadn’t noticed Kailas’s feelings, thanks to her impeccable poker face, was a problem in itself.
Not that it mattered.
‘How does someone that bad at hiding their expressions manage to conceal their feelings from Kailas?’
Caught up in his own romantic entanglements with Romiya, Sigmund had only ever given cursory attention to Julios and Kailas’s mutual, unspoken affections.
‘But that’s not what’s important right now.’
Whether those oblivious fools continued their one-sided pining or not was none of his concern. What mattered was how maddeningly good Romiya’s touch felt as she stroked his back.
The sensation was entirely different from when he was in his human form—overwhelming in its comfort, as if he was wholly protected by Romiya.
‘So, Romiya, just let me stay like this for five minutes. It’s the last time, after all. I promise to run away quietly in five minutes, okay?’
Once again succumbing to instinct, Sigmund buried his face into Romiya’s arm.
He was unaware that Romiya’s eyes glistened with unshed tears as she looked down at him.
—
“Lady Romiya, is there anything we can do to assist you?”
Sigmund snapped back to reality at the sound of a knight addressing Romiya.
The knight, who had maintained a respectful distance to avoid disturbing her, had finally approached.
‘What’s going on?’
Romiya’s hand was resting on his head. A sudden, heart-stopping statement reached his ears as he tried to pull away.
“I’d like to spend some time alone. Would that be alright?”
There was a faint tremor in Romiya’s voice!
Sigmund felt as though his breath had been stolen. Before he could process the shock, the knight responded.
“Are you requesting that we withdraw our escort for a while?”
“Not exactly… I’d just like to spend a little more time here. I have some things to think about, and the mother cat might show up.”
“Forgive me, but that would be difficult. As you know, Lord Sigmund has always been deeply concerned for your safety.”
“I feel guilty about making you wait for so long. Why not take a seat and wait instead?”
Romiya gestured toward a nearby café.
“You’ll still be able to watch me from the terrace. It should suffice for security, don’t you think?”
“But…”
Romiya raised her hand with a faint smile to reassure the hesitant knight. Several gemstone rings adorned her fingers.
“Don’t worry. I have these rings. Every single one of them was given to me by Lord Sig.”
“Lord Sigmund gave them to you himself?”
“Yes.”
Romiya nodded.
“Each ring contains twenty spells, making a total of a hundred different spells. Most of them are offensive or protective spells. Of those, thirty-three activate automatically without me needing to recite a spell. Oh, and Lord Sig mentioned that these spells won’t attack Genos’ soil. They only target individuals attacking me or the nations they belong to.”
“Impressive.”
The knight’s eyes shone with awe. Twenty spells in a single small ring—what a feat.
He was struck anew by Sigmund’s greatness.
Driven by a mix of curiosity about this extraordinary being and a sense of responsibility to properly protect his charge, the knight cautiously asked, “Lady Romiya, would you mind explaining a little about these spells? Even a brief explanation could aid in ensuring your safety.”
“Ah, I don’t remember all one hundred, but… I can tell you about the more notable ones.”
Romiya extended her fingers and began her explanation.
“Here, the red gemstone contains fire and curse-based spells. If something happens, the first thing that activates is a mental attack, which causes hallucinations. Beyond that, there’s…”
As Romiya continued her explanation, the knight’s expression grew increasingly complicated.
The spells she described were nothing short of extraordinary.
From curses that could obliterate a target’s mind to precision fireballs that could incinerate their bodies, to earthquake spells capable of toppling an empire in moments—each was overwhelming in its power.
One could practically wage a war armed with just these rings.
‘…Why does she even need a bodyguard?’
The knight, who had taken pride in guarding the dragon’s companion, found his enthusiasm for the task slightly deflated.
Shaking off his momentary gloom, the knight quickly gathered himself and spoke to Romiya.
“Thank you for explaining. With these spells, it seems more than sufficient to ensure your safety. As you requested, we’ll pull back our guard line, but only as far as the café. There’s always a chance of unexpected situations.”
“That’s more than enough.”
“Thank you for your understanding.”
The knight stepped back with a respectful bow to the dragon’s companion.
Unbeknownst to him, the greatest “unexpected situation” had already occurred. Sigmund, cradled in Romiya’s arms, was half out of his mind and unable to grasp the gravity of his circumstances.
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