Chapter 111: Prophetic Conviction

The engagement ring

No matter how much I tried, I couldn't find it in the dorm room.

Of course, it wasn't among the belongings I brought from home.

I don't know for sure, but it seems like Max carelessly threw it away somewhere in a corner of the house.

'Despicable guy.'

It's not hard to stick to the basics.

But there are those who can't even do that.

Like Max.

Because of him, my situation became embarrassing.

It seemed I would have to contact home soon to ask them to find and send the engagement ring.

At least it would be proper to wear it when meeting Regina.

"What?" Regina asked, as if reading my expression, while putting down the wine bottle.

"No, just thinking. Thank you," I replied, slightly raising my glass.

"You're saying things that are out of character. Keep talking."

"Will do."

After moistening my throat with the filled wine, I opened my mouth again.

"I said I was preparing to survive, right?"

"Yes."

"You're curious about the reason?"

"You could say that."

"Fine. Then I'll tell you one thing."

At my words, Regina's eyes lit up with a soft glow.

It wasn't a lie that her interest had begun to pique.

She quietly waited for what I had to say next.

"Since both you and I are nobles of the empire, let's talk about the empire."

My Celtrine family.

Regina's Erenbert family.

Both were renowned, noble families of the Hyas Empire.

The wealth of Celtrine, the martial strength of Erenbert.

In theory, it was an ideal combination of wealth and power.

Of course, the end result was a mess, but at least it hadn't reached a complete disaster yet.

There was still a chance.

I was sure of that.

"I'm certain that discord will arise in the empire."

"Certainty? That's not something to say lightly."

Indeed.

If it had been anyone other than Regina, I would have been laughed at.

But with her, it could work.

I thought so.

"Yes, because it's you, I can say it."

Emphasizing that she is special.

It's a phrase that's hard for anyone to dislike.

No, if she hadn't been the person before the ice wall, I would never have mentioned it.

Even though her expression didn't change, she probably wasn't in a bad mood.

I deliberately let a strange smile slip as I continued.

"After all, it's something that can't be believed just by words. So it's right for me to show credible evidence on my side."

"Evidence?"

"Yes."

I know a lot of things.

From big and important events to small and trivial ones.

Surely, there would be something I could use in the near future.

I quickly recalled the contents I had written down in my notebook.

I had checked it meticulously in date order dozens of times, so the contents were clearly etched in my mind.

Narrowing it down to a few days,

'That should do it.'

I picked out two usable pieces of information.

One was within the school, the other outside.

Choosing two was naturally because having more than one would be more credible.

"Tell me the two things."

Regina nodded her head silently as if to say, go ahead.

"First, in two days, Professor Karen will cancel all her lectures for that day."

Professor Karen.

No matter what her past as a student who nearly got expelled for skipping classes, at least since she became a professor, there had been no issues with her diligence.

Of course, there had been no problems with her lectures either.

Her canceling lectures all day?

It would probably sound ridiculous.

Which is why I chose it.

"Why?"

"Because I saw it in a dream."

"What did you see?"

"The professor lying sick in bed, groaning in her room."

Regina looked as if she was seriously contemplating whether to continue entertaining this conversation.

Then, she eventually sighed shortly and said,

"Ha, keep going."

"Of course, that's what I intend."

I moistened my throat with wine before speaking again.

"Secondly, coincidentally also in two days, a fire will break out at the Tower of Light, and part of the building will burn down."

The Tower of Light.

One of the six great towers, it was a prominent tower located in the holy city.

True to its handling of light elements, it had maintained a long-standing close relationship with the church.

That's also why it was situated in the holy city.

"A fire?"

"Yes. I saw the Tower of Light scorched black by the fire."

Regina still looked as if she couldn't believe it.

That would be the normal reaction of a sane person.

There's no need to worry about convincing her right now.

After all, 'evidence' I presented would resolve everything as time passed.

"You'll know in two days whether my words are nonsense or not."