Kashimir's eyes went bloodshot. Anyone would get shocked after hearing that their daughter would become bedridden for life.
"Murakan, what do you mean by that? That kid will become bedridden? Elaborate."
Jin's chest felt heavy. He felt his stomach sink at the thought of a horrible fate for a small, innocent child.
"You humans think that clairvoyance is miraculous and extraordinary, but that is only one side of the coin. The moment you make a contract with Az Mil, you lose the ability to change the future."
Murakan continued to explain the 'causation principle'.
"If one sees the future, they must follow it. No matter what. When you begin to act against it, Az Mil will begin to condemn you."
Even though they want to alter their actions, thought processes, or decisions based upon the future, Az Mil's contractors must abide by their fate.
Thus, even if they see in the future that their brother was going to get assassinated, they must not tell him or go stop the assassination.
Since everyone in the room deduced the near future, the 'causation principle' applied to them as well. However, even though they try to change the future, Az Mil punishes the contractor regardless.
"If they disobey the 'causation principle', the contractor will receive death as their punishment. Your daughter has been living in a different world than you and me. She's basically living a pre-planned life."
"I-I can't believe it. I've never heard of that before."
"Of course not. It isn't well known even amongst the dragons."
"Then about Euria's discovery of your transformation… If she was destined to meet you, what does that mean?"
"That it was from a prophecy. What are the chances of meeting Az Mil's contractor in a big city like this? Az Mil probably set us up to offer the helpless girl some assistance because she lost her dragon. Essentially, Az Mil is requesting help."
"A god is asking some humans for a favour?"
"For a dragon and two humans, that is. I can't exactly pinpoint Az Mil's intentions of intervention, but I'm probably right. A coincidental encounter seems very improbable."
Kashimir, speechless, shook his head, and Jin thought about the little girl.
The All-Seeing Eye that could see into the future, and the Absolute Eye that could see the truth behind everything in the world.
'Calling me 'sir'… Did she see me before I regressed?'
Now that he thought about the possibility, goosebumps crawled all over Jin's body.
"Either way, we need to find the dragon and return it to her side."
"…O Great Dragon, it is not known to the world, but I am the leader of the information broker agency, 'Seven-Colored Peacock'. We have many skillful workers, but for the past year, we did not find any news about Euria's guardian dragon."
"The Seven-Colored Peacock is yours? I can see why Az Mil is messing with our world. We came to Tikan to use the Seven-Colored Peacock's information anyways."
To Kashimir, Murakan's words were like a beam of light through a cloudy sky. Instead of just requesting for uncompensated help from a dragon, he could offer his services to successfully seal the deal.
Thump!
Kashimir fell to his knees and lowered his head.
"O Great Dragon, I humbly beg for your assistance. I will do anything for my daughter. I would even offer you the entirety of the Seven-Colored Peacock."
Normally, Kashimir was a very composed man. Although he was kicked out, as a former member of the Vermont Imperial Family, his sense of pride and self-esteem were very strong.
However, this was a situation in which his daughter's life was on the line. Although they were not backed with any evidence, Kashimir didn't doubt a single word uttered by the dragon, desperation filling his senses.
After all, he was in the presence of a dragon and a Runcandel; they would not lie as it would soil their name.
Surprised, Gilly blinked, and Jin's eyes widened.
"I want to help out, but I don't make the final decision."
"Pardon?"
"You hafta ask this kid. Whatever we do, it's this little fella that decides everything. So, what are we gonna do, kiddo?"
Normally, a dragon and its god's contractor usually have a somewhat 'equivalent relationship', but the contractor does have command over the dragon. Essentially, the dragon has a sense of independence.
No matter how close the dragon is to the contractor, the dragon does not forget its principles. Kashimir knew of this principle, and from it, he realized that Jin wasn't just any Runcandel.
"Please offer your assistance, Young Master Jin."
"Please stand up, Sir Kashimir. Though we've only just met, the life of a child is on the line. Accepting the request is not a problem."
Jin helped Kashimir onto his feet.
The man's eyes were filled with tears. Jin could feel his anxiety and frustration.
"Sir Kashimir, I understand that you are nervous, but let us keep our calm. Starting today, we'll look for Euria's guardian dragon. There has to be a way to find it."
"I will be forever indebted, Young Master."
The encounter proceeded very smoothly.
Jin didn't even need to reveal his masterpiece of an artifact, nor did he have the need to access the Fountain of Mana that he didn't even have. They could cooperate with Kashimir and the Seven-Colored Peacock.
But it wasn't a joyful turn of events. Nobody would find joy in a quest with a little girl's life on the line.
'If the Seven-Colored Peacock doesn't have anything, then we have to rely on the Runcandels' or the Zipfels' intelligence.'
But since he was on a mission to become a provisional flag-bearer, he could not ask for help from his clan. In his current situation, he wanted to break some rules, but they wouldn't help him in any way.
"Sir Kashimir. You said that you suspect the Zipfels or Vermont Imperial Family of kidnapping Euria's guardian dragon. What did you mean by that? You said that it was simply a gut feeling."
"If the dragon died, then Euria would know, no matter what. Only the Zipfel Clan and Vermont Imperial Family are capable of kidnapping a dragon without a trace."
He wasn't wrong.
Many different types of magic are needed to kidnap a dragon. For an infantry and swordsmanship-based clan like the Runcandels, committing such a crime was not impossible, but it would leave evidence of battle.
"The suspected date of disappearance was August 2, 1794. According to my workers' research, the Zipfels' and Vermonts' strongest magicians left their posts that day."
"The Zipfel Clan and the Vermont Imperial Family…"
If it's those two, whether they conclude by intuition or with the use of evidence, rescuing the dragon wouldn't be easy.
Not even difficult—it would be impossible. Along with the Runcandels, the Zipfels and Vermont Imperial Family made up the three strongest families, and amongst them, the Zipfel Clan was on top.
"I already kind of gave up rescuing my daughter's guardian dragon. And if you hadn't told me that her life was on the line, I would've given up indefinitely."
"Do not fret. It's also my first time learning about the fate of Az Mil's contractors."
"Correct, mortal. Self-blame won't solve anything. Hmmm, the Zipfels and an empire… Hey, kid. Is the Free City of Tikan part of the Lutero Magic Federation?"
"No, Tikan is a city-state—just like Mamit. It's not exactly a country of some sort or a part of anything else."
However, one key difference between Tikan and Mamit was that Tikan had vast lands. The Zipfels and Vermont Imperial Family, some other kingdoms and the Runcandels as well, of course, wanted their hands on Tikan's land.
Additionally, the Vermont Imperial Family found the Fallen Prince's easily earned freedom very annoying as well.
Establishing a city amongst many land-hungry empires after ten strenuous years, Kashimir and the Seven-Colored Peacock's ability to compromise was incredible.
'Even though he could raise a city, he couldn't save his own daughter… because the citizens themselves weren't aware that the ruler of the Free City of Tikan, Kashimir, had a daughter.'
Additionally, if news ever got into the limelight, rescuing Euria could largely impact the course of history.
"Then, I can just transform here, right?"
"Why's that?"
"Gonna fly to the Vermont Empire and ask some other dragons. Most of the dragons over at the Zipfels' are my enemy, so I can't ask them."
Almost 80% of the existing dragons were affiliated with the Zipfel Clan.
Most of the remaining 20% were under the Vermont Imperial Family, and the rest—a very small portion—was associated with smaller clans or unknown contractors.
"You can't just fly into the Vermont Empire because of their barrier. Getting another fake identification and passing through a transfer gate would be much easier."
"Barriers don't matter. If I emit a ton of energy while flying, then a few goons would notice me. So I'm going somewhere I won't be detected."
"What? How?"
"I may have just awoken from a thousand-year slumber, but when I was in my prime, there were many who were indebted to me, you know? Hopefully, I'll find one of my fellas in the outskirts of the empire. If not, it's whatever."
Dragons often remained active for more than thousands of years. As long as a god constantly renewed contracts, it was possible.
"O Dragon Lord!"
Having thought of something, Kashimir exclaimed.
"Hey, just call me by my name. Don't keep calling me like that. It's embarrassing. Am I some kind of cult leader?"
"Sir Murakan! Before you leave, I can offer you an archive of the Vermont Imperial Family's dragons. It is something that agents of the Seven-Colored Peacock are already investigating!"
"Oh, really? Then rush over there and bring it to me. I'm really looking forward to our partnership. Let's hope I see a familiar name."
"Yes, Sir. Please wait a moment!"
"Hey, hey, wait."
Murakan stopped Kashimir at the door.
"Before you leave, I'll tell you two things. First, starting today, your daughter will spend tiring hours. Every single day, make her play until the sun sets. Whenever she's awake, make her constantly waste time. So then she falls fast asleep."
"H-How long will she need to do this?"
"Until we find her guardian dragon. Get a clown or entertainer or something. You have to entertain her out of her mind. Whenever she gets tired, Az Mil's powers naturally become weaker."
The weaker the power, the safer Euria will be. Then there will be a higher chance she won't see her future and will not need to live by it.
Although she was at an age where she could not distinguish between the present and future as well as fantasy and reality, if she sees her 'shocking future', then her actions will be influenced. And once she reaches that point, she will be in grave danger.
However, it is possible that she could interpret the future as just one of her dreams.
"Oh."
"Feed her sleeping pills, or you can cast a sleeping spell on her. But I presume you wouldn't like that. I don't like it either. Neither does the kid or Strawberry Pie or your wife—even your child herself. Right?"
"Understood. I will try my best to tire her through joy and entertainment. And the second?"
"Recall the inn's chefs that you evacuated and tell them to make a lot of shrimp dishes. A substantial amount."
Kashimir nodded and rushed out the door.
Gilly walked over to Murakan.
"Lord Murakan, that was very nice of you."
"Haha, Strawberry Pie, I remembered that you couldn't get the shrimp dishes that you wanted."
"No, not that. I meant when you calmly communicated with Sir Kashimir in order to alleviate his anxiety."
Embarrassed, Murakan awkwardly looked away and coughed.
"His feelings don't mean anything to me anyway."
—————