Chapter 12
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 12
Chapter Title: All That's Left is Money
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After that, the Black Wing Guild provided both material and moral support for Tail's fortune-telling business, taking a cut of the profits in return.
Thanks to this, the guild made a dramatic comeback and steadily expanded.
And now, it had finally carved out a solid position for itself.
Since all of this was thanks to Tail, it was only natural for every member of the Black Wing Guild to hold him in high regard.
Reminiscing briefly about the past, Tail strolled familiarly through the interior and asked,
"What's today's take?"
Khan replied in a dry, emotionless tone.
"On the table to the left."
Tail approached the table as instructed.
Several pouches sat there, bulging out as if stuffed full of something hefty.
"Heh."
Tail took a short, deep breath before swiftly opening one of the pouches.
"Whoa!"
It was packed to the brim with gold coins.
Gold coins! Gold coins!
He gave one a light bite, and it dented satisfyingly—definitely the real deal.
So many pure gold coins.
This was the payoff from sending a letter offering his services first and collecting payment upfront.
Nearly a year into the gig, the fortune teller Tail—known as "Prometa"—had become a household name among the nobility.
Prometa.
It was the alias Tail used for his fortune-telling persona.
In the local tongue, it meant "one who sees the future."
The nobles buzzed with speculation about Prometa's true identity.
Some whispered he was a forgotten god in disguise, while others swore he was a prophet blessed by the divine.
'Well, I just read about it in the novel.'
No issues there, though.
He got paid, and they got their glimpse of the future.
Sister pleased, brother-in-law pleased—what could be better?
'This client's got deep pockets, though.'
Tail really liked that.
He let out a villainous cackle.
Khan let out a short sigh at the sight and muttered bluntly,
"Don't forget—ten percent is ours."
"Ugh, I know."
Way to kill the vibe.
Tail grumbled under his breath.
Khan sighed again, this time long and drawn out.
"Then get to writing."
Tail nodded at Khan's words.
"Yeah, yeah. Money's in hand—time to earn it."
Muttering to himself, Tail pulled out a sheet of letter paper and a pen from the desk.
To them, Tail was a god, and his divinations might as well have been sacred oracles.
Every noble was scrambling for just one letter from him.
'This one's from Count Enus.'
There was only one reason he'd chosen Count Enus.
'This guy's gonna strike it big in business later on.'
A massive success, big enough to make it into the novel.
So Tail figured the count's letter would be full of questions about that.
Tail fished out Count Enus's handwritten letter from amid the gold coins.
Clients who paid upfront in advance usually included a list of specific questions they wanted answered.
Tail would then draw from his own knowledge and Khan's intel to craft responses.
'Let's take a look.'
Dear Prometa.
Allow me to offer my greetings first. This is Count Enus.
I must express my deepest gratitude for selecting me...
"What the hell? Why is all this fluff dragging on forever?"
Tail grumbled as he flipped through the pages of the letter.
The thanks alone had filled three full sheets already.
'Just get to the questions!'
It wasn't just a little annoying—he was skipping pages like crazy.
After flipping through for a good while,
'Ah, there it is.'
On the fifth page, Tail finally found what he was looking for.
I'm planning to start a business, but I'm anxious about whether it will succeed. I have a partner—his name is Pluto.
'As expected.'
It was about business, just as Tail had predicted.
But then.
'Pluto?'
Tail's eyes narrowed.
'Sounds familiar...'
His memory was hazy.
Right then, Khan spoke up.
"I've put together a file on Count Enus—it's right there beside you."
"Khan, you're the man!"
An information guild was the best!
He didn't even need to ask anymore!
There was no better place for digging into the tendencies, personalities, and specifics on extras like these.
'Pluto's info should be in there too.'
Tail chuckled as he opened the documents nearby.
And sure enough, under the entry on Count Enus, Pluto was listed as well.
'Burn scar on one side of his face, so he wears a mask...'
That jogged his memory.
'This is that master con artist Yerin was talking about?'
The arch-swindler Pluto.
He'd scammed other nobles, made off with their money, and become a fugitive on the run.
Of course, five years from now, he'd get caught by the Imperial Princess, Chloe.
'Looks like Count Enus was one of his victims.'
However.
Tail had no intention of spilling all the beans.
If he laid it all out, Count Enus would ditch the partnership with Pluto on the spot.
And that would derail the future Tail knew in a big way.
Hurling a massive boulder into the water would kick up thick clouds of silt and chaos, but a pebble would only create gentle ripples.
The bigger the splash from Tail's stone, the more everything around it would change.
'That's why I divine in a way that keeps the future as intact as possible.'
He'd start simple—past events and personality traits.
Tail paused as he went to write.
'Enus's past, though...'
Not knowing much about Count Enus in detail, Tail pored over the documents Khan had provided.
'Thorough as always.'
The file had an impressive level of detail on the count.
After a quick read-through, Tail penned his response in elegant script.
You possess a steadfast and unyielding nature, much like a tortoise. You would even stay silent to protect your family, even if your wife were unfaithful.
A tarot and horoscope fanatic in his past life, Tail wove the intel from Khan into something convincingly profound.
And now came the crucial part about the business.
Tail grinned and continued writing.
One as resolute as you may face a single crisis. But you must remember this:
When the world is plunged into its deepest darkness, the sun finally rises.
You will one day lead an immense success.
This was stone-cold fact.
'They say Enus is a steadfast guy.'
Plus, five years from now, he'd strike gold in business.
With the "Enus Cafe" on the most bustling street in town.
'Princess Chloe used to drop by there a lot during her academy days.'
Tail muttered to himself as he signed the letter.
—Devotedly, Prometa
Things that would happen anyway? They'd chalk it up to Tail's prophecy coming true once they read the letter.
"All done?"
Khan's voice came from behind.
"Yeah, one sec."
Tail replied offhandedly as he slipped the letter into an envelope.
"So."
Having sealed it neatly, Tail turned his gaze to Khan.
"What do you want to talk about?"
Tail crossed his arms as he asked. Khan let out a short chuckle.
"Your instincts are as sharp as ever."
With that, he continued, still smirking.
"We've received an imperial decree from the Bellenuus Empire."
Tail's expression hardened slightly at Khan's words.
"Imperial decree?"
"That's right. It's wartime, an emergency—they're demanding we supply mercenaries from the guild."
Tail caught on immediately.
"So you're asking if it's smart to side with Bellenuus right now?"
"..."
Reading the silence as confirmation, Tail furrowed his brow deeply.
Khan was testing the waters.
Which empire to back—Tieren or Bellenuus?
'I get it, sort of...'
And understandably so.
If they threw in with an empire and Tieren won, they'd be executed without mercy.
The tide of the war had favored Tieren so far, but now Bellenuus was surging back.
With lives on the line, Khan was playing it safe.
But Tail's voice cut sharp and clear.
"Bellenuus wins this war. If you want a taste of the spoils afterward, pick a side now."
"...Is that patriotism talking?"
"Pa~triot~ism?"
Tail burst out laughing.
"Hey, a nobody commoner like me? Where's that gonna come from?"
Tail ran his fingers gently over the gold coins.
The cool sensation at his fingertips lifted his spirits.
"All that's left is money. You know that too, right, Khan? Oh~ these beauties."
Handling them like priceless treasures, Tail carefully tucked the coins into his pouch.
Watching him, Khan clicked his tongue and slowly shook his head.
"Oh, right."
Just before heading out, Tail turned back to Khan.
"Get me some info on Cecilia Duvier's father."
"You mean Marquis Duvier?"
Khan's voice rose in surprise.
"Yeah. Favor."
"How in-depth?"
Tail flashed a grin at the question.
To Khan, that smile spelled trouble.
"What're you asking between us?"
Tail winked slyly.
"Everything. Send it by letter. I'm out!"
Tail was gone before Khan could respond.
"..."
A heavy silence settled over the room.
That was when it happened.
Suddenly, the space beside him began to tear open.