Chapter 133
“No, no.”
Kais, who had been swept up in excitement, suddenly came to his senses.
“Even if she says that now, she might change later.”
The faces of the many investors he had dealt with flashed through his mind.
Quite a few had initially acted indifferent, only to show tremendous interest in him after seeing Kais’s astonishing inventions.
Thinking that Idel Luciviu might end up the same way, Kais hurriedly moved the clone of himself that had been staying in the workshop and approached his senior apprentice.
“Hyung, what did their subordinate say? You mentioned they brought a guard with them.”
When Kais spoke aloud, the clone facing his senior asked the exact same question.
“Yeah. I offered him a cup of tea earlier and tried to draw him into conversation. He said he originally served the Second Prince, but now works under Baron Luciviu…”
This was the evaluation that man gave of Idel Luciviu and the Second Prince.
“Both of them are good people. They’re good, but you could say they lack a bit of human warmth.”
According to him, their reward system based on achievements was excellent, but they rarely opened up to others and didn’t show much personal interest in people.
Kais’s heart, which had only just calmed down, began to pound again.
If they were people like that, they probably wouldn’t give Kais any excessive special treatment either.
He ruffled his messy hair and pondered.
The Second Prince was the enemy of the First Prince. That meant there was a high probability they were also enemies of Lady Cassius—the First Prince’s lover.
Kais thought of the girl who had somehow found him before he had even made a name for himself and had come looking for him, offering to be his investor.
Liena Cassius had been a loyal customer of Kais for many years.
Unlike others, she never tried to undervalue his inventions and always trusted him enough to fund the enormous costs of his research.
Since he had never encountered anyone like her, Kais had entrusted her with the exclusive commercialization of his inventions.
‘But…’
There was no doubt Liena was a good investor, but she had one fatal flaw.
“When will I be able to meet you in person? I promise! We’d definitely become great friends!”
To Kais, that attitude was unbearably burdensome.
Whenever he saw Liena eagerly pleading with sparkling eyes, cold sweat seemed to run down his back.
A business partner just needed to conduct business well—why did they have to become friends?
He had politely declined her requests every time, but Liena was persistent.
“That’s so mean… I’m begging you like this, can’t you meet me just once? Just once is enough!”
Still, she hadn’t always been this pushy.
But after the Iber Merchant Guild collapsed, Liena began trying to meet Kais as if someone were chasing her.
On top of that, she even proposed a new business, saying she would help him achieve his long-held dream.
Because of that, Kais had gradually begun to waver.
After all, it would be difficult to find another business partner like Liena, and they had worked together for more than ten years.
He had just started wondering whether he should simply close his eyes and meet her once.
Then, at that very moment, Idel Luciviu and the Second Prince came looking for him.
If it was them, they might provide magic stones just as good as Liena’s—perhaps even the highest-grade ones in abundance—making them an even better partner than her.
‘And if our personalities match as well, it would be perfect.’
Kais controlled his clone and made it go up to the second floor.
His final decision would come only after he spoke with them directly.
* * *
“Sorry to keep you waiting. I’m the one they call the eccentric inventor.”
It had already been an hour and a half since Terence and I arrived when we finally heard those words.
So he finally shows up.
Although that was my thought, I deliberately showed a surprised expression.
“You’re… him?”
Terence tilted his head suspiciously.
It was a natural reaction.
The being who had introduced itself as the eccentric inventor… was not human.
“This form is just a clone of mine. Due to certain circumstances, I’m unable to meet you in person. I hope you understand.”
With those words, the parrot bowed politely.
What ‘circumstances’?
He just didn’t want to leave his house.
Both Terence and I already knew—because of what I had told him—that the eccentric inventor would appear in the form of an animal-shaped clone.
Still, we remained silent for a moment to act surprised.
After exchanging glances with Terence, I spoke on our behalf.
“That’s fine. Whether it’s a clone or not, as long as we can talk with you.”
Terence nodded in agreement.
“…Not only Baron Luciviu, but even Your Highness the Second Prince doesn’t seem concerned with formalities. That’s quite surprising.”
“What matters in obtaining talent isn’t etiquette.”
The parrot stared at Terence for a moment before turning its gaze toward me.
“Baron Luciviu, there are many things I want to ask you, but the one I’m most curious about is this.”
The animal’s black eyes glimmered.
“What do you want from me?”
It was quite a broad question.
At the same time, it was a question meant to define what kind of person I was.
“A mutually beneficial relationship. You freely conduct the research you want to do, and I gain profit from it.”
I answered honestly.
“And if my research brings you little benefit?”
“That won’t happen. I have a good eye for talent. But if, by chance, that were the case…”
I gave a slightly bitter smile.
“Then it can’t be helped. It would mean I made a bad judgment. From that day onward, I would stop supporting you.”
For Kais, hearing this was far more welcome than hearing something like “I believe in you. I’m sure you’ll succeed someday.”
That was simply the kind of person he was.
When I read the novel before, I often questioned Liena’s approach to Kais.
From what little glimpses of his personality appeared in the story, it felt like pushing too deeply into his life—as Liena did—would only have the opposite effect.
‘Yet in the end, Kais met Liena a few times and completely fell for her.’
At first I wondered whether Kais secretly wanted a friend.
But after learning the truth about the blessing, I changed my mind.
That method only worked because it was Liena.
Since I wasn’t Liena, the best strategy was to approach him in a way that suited his personality.
“I’ll ask you formally. Would you grant me the exclusive right to sell your inventions?”
Not as a friend.
But strictly as a business partner.
“If you agree, I will not only guarantee your share of the profits but also provide the best possible environment for your research.”
“….”
The eccentric inventor did not answer immediately.
That was understandable.
He wasn’t someone who lacked loyalty—he had simply avoided Liena’s blessing.
It wasn’t easy to abandon an investor he had worked with for over ten years.
But I can feel it. One final push is all that’s needed.
The fact that Kais was still staying here despite hating contact with people was proof.
If he had truly disliked us, he would have left long ago.
So now was the moment to reveal the final move I had prepared.
Pretending it was an accident, I lightly nudged the handbag that was sitting on the table.
“Kyooong!”
A strange creature tumbled out of it.
It was the divine beast.
“Oh! Are you okay? I’m sorry!”
I carefully scooped the fallen creature into my arms.
“Oh my baby, you must have been startled.”
“Keng…”
In contrast to its weak whimper, a clear human voice sounded inside my head.
“…Master. Do we really have to go this far?”
We already finished the conversation—why is it acting like this now?
“Even if it hurts a bit, just bear with it. I’ll blow on it.”
“Grr!”
When I leaned closer and blew gently, the divine beast recoiled in disgust and desperately turned its head away.
“W-What is that…?!”
At that moment, an excited voice burst between us.
“What is that strange creature that looks neither like a fox nor a cat?!”
The parrot shouted, its eyes wide.
“Oh, this little one? I found it in the forest recently. I thought it was cute, so I decided to keep it.”
“You’re saying that’s a monster?! I’ve never seen a monster that looks like that!”
Of course he hadn’t.
It wasn’t an ordinary monster—it was a sacred beast.
“Oh? Then maybe it isn’t a monster? It has some strange powers, so I assumed it was one.”
Revealing the truth wasn’t the right move here.
Better to spark Kais’s curiosity.
“Strange powers? What kind of powers?”
“Shall I show you?”
I patted the divine beast’s plump little backside.
The divine beast glared at me before reluctantly releasing its power.
“Grrr!”
Its body glowed faintly, and suddenly the table and everything on it began to float into the air.
To be honest, since Terence and I had already witnessed the divine beast rampaging through a magic-stone mine like it was about to split it in half, this display didn’t impress us much.
But Kais’s reaction was completely different.
“Th-Th…!”
The parrot stammered, its eyes bulging.
Then it screamed loud enough to shake the building.
“This is incredible!”
Flapping its wings, the parrot flew toward the divine beast and began circling it repeatedly.
“That wasn’t the sinister energy that monsters usually emit! How should I describe it… it was a much purer power! A monster like this actually exists? This could be the discovery of the century!”
Just from the excitement in his voice, I knew.
Just as expected, the eccentric inventor was a typical mage—someone whose curiosity burned whenever he encountered something beyond his knowledge and understanding.
“I want to study it! If I can understand the principle behind that power and utilize it, it would be extraordinary—ah!”
The parrot had leaned in too close.
The divine beast swatted it with its front paw, sending it tumbling across the floor.
