The sorcerer had been irritable lately.
It wasn't just the Supreme Sorcerer ramping up the intensity of his swordsmanship training. A series of trivial domestic issues had him on edge. For reasons beyond Solomon's understanding, Jeanne and Bayonetta had taken the Cheshire Cat to the vet for a neutering operation. By the time Solomon returned, he found the cat lying listlessly on the couch, sporting an Elizabethan collar, limbs sprawled out, crying loudly in despair. Its short gray fur was disheveled—its manhood irreversibly gone.
"You have no idea how many female cats it's lured while we were away!" Jeanne fumed when Solomon asked what had happened. "That little scoundrel! It brought the upstairs neighbor's kitten into our living room! And it trashed the bathroom. I refuse to wake up to a litter of kittens a few months from now!"
Bayonetta nodded gravely.
"Boya, they say pets reflect their owners to some extent," the witch said, narrowing her eyes with a sugar-sweet smile. "But I sincerely hope you're not like this."
Solomon froze mid-spell, incredulously staring at the short-haired cat in his arms.
"Meow~"
"You still dare to argue! We should've never installed that pet door! This fat cat's getting bolder by the day!" Jeanne's face was flushed with anger, and she looked like she might pull out a gun and execute the cat on the spot.
"Meow!" Cheshire Cat burrowed into Solomon's arms, wailing loudly.
"I really can't help you." Solomon lifted the plump cat and said seriously, "You need to learn to be as loyal as I am. If one day you find a mate you truly love, I might help you recover. Maybe I'll even host your wedding."
"Meow meow~"
But the misbehaving cat wasn't the only source of trouble. The Pegasus, left behind at the Kamar-Taj headquarters, had been equally unruly. After downing two bottles of pure malt whiskey Solomon had given it, the creature had developed a taste for alcohol. Solomon now wondered if riding Pegasus counted as drunk driving. No laws covered intoxicated celestial steeds—consulting a lawyer seemed absurd.
That wasn't all. Athena had brought a set of armor for Solomon to wear, but the moment he mounted Pegasus in the clunky gear, the steed protested, claiming the armor pinched its delicate fur. Pegasus, already notorious for disliking saddles, made riding challenging with its massive wings. It refused to let Solomon secure his legs around its flank like a proper cavalryman. Since its return to the material plane after millennia, the celestial steed seemed eager to experience everything it had missed. Only after Athena's stern reprimand during a visit to Kamar-Taj did the Pegasus finally settle down.
---
"If I weren't so annoyed, I wouldn't be here, Stark." Solomon lounged on a sofa, sipping fruit juice with a bored expression. He had finished his training for the day—magic, swordsmanship, jousting, and spear-throwing were all checked off. Lacking the energy for other Kamar-Taj matters and with Jeanne and Bayonetta out shopping, he decided to drop by and pester Tony Stark. Mostly, he wanted to pick up some technical knowledge that could aid his future golem-making endeavors—his army wouldn't build itself.
"So... you're here because your cat got neutered?" Stark had paused his work when Solomon arrived, his current project nearing completion. A break didn't hurt. "I don't know any miracle-working vets who can reverse that, you know. Can't magic do something about it?"
"It could, but that's not why I'm here. Forget it." Solomon took another sip. "Any updates from S.H.I.E.L.D. lately?"
"Let's see... A gas explosion at the Oro Grande Police Station—no casualties."
"That was me. Skip it."
"Project Pegasus..."
"Not interested. Don't even think about it, Stark."
"Then why are you here? Did Nick Fury invite you to something?"
"Invite me to what?"
"His special boys' club party." Stark shrugged, pouring himself a drink. "After that old guy woke up, S.H.I.E.L.D. took the shield back from me. Apparently, he's joined their new initiative. Fury hasn't mentioned this to you?"
"No." Solomon shook his head. "I know what you're getting at, but Fury wouldn't invite me. He can't control me. Steve Rogers doesn't know anyone in this world, Peggy Carter is on her deathbed, and S.H.I.E.L.D. had control over her long before she passed. You, Stark, can't protect everyone close to you with just your suit, so you need S.H.I.E.L.D. But I don't. Most of the time, I inform S.H.I.E.L.D. because Kamar-Taj prefers someone else to handle the cleanup. Being frugal, I let them deal with things when possible."
"You're fifteen, a minor." Stark gave Solomon a sidelong glance. "I can't believe you're shouldering this much at your age. Doesn't Kamar-Taj have plenty of capable people? Why is your teacher so hard on you alone?"
"Because it's my responsibility." Solomon waved dismissively and slumped back onto the sofa. "Think of it as a predestined path. The harder I work now, the fewer people die in the future."
"You once told me not to take the weight of the future as solely my responsibility. Yet here you are, doing the same. Solomon Damonet, why are you so arrogant, thinking you can carry it all? I'm human too—I have a duty to shoulder some of it. And I'm older than you. Kids your age should be focusing on school—or magic."
"You can call it arrogance, Stark," Solomon replied without opening his eyes. "But it's because of my position. In old terms, I'm a lord. I have a duty to protect my subjects."
"This is the modern world. Those old ideas are obsolete."
"Not entirely."
"Oh? I'd love to hear your reasoning."
"Asgard," Solomon offered as an example. "Asgard is a nation built on extraordinary power, ruled by the Aesir from the start. Even as ordinary Asgardians advanced technologically, they remained vastly inferior to the gods in power and lifespan. The nation's feudal structure never changed."
"Go on."
"Then there's the Kree Empire, another contrast. It has a rigid hierarchy with nobles and oligarchs controlling resources. But thanks to the Supreme Intelligence's equal distribution of knowledge and power, their society is stable despite the stratification." Solomon conjured holograms of the Kree homeworld, Hala, in one hand, and another planet in the other.
"Then there's Xandar, one of the Kree's main rivals. Their society revolves around the Worldmind, a supercomputer that powers their Nova Corps with 'Nova Energy.' Think of them as special forces maintaining 'galactic peace.' Of course, what peace means is up to them. If they showed up on Earth, they'd be asking for trouble—I'd gladly take them down."
"Wait, wait. You're still a minor. Stop talking about decapitations..."
"Fine, I'll petrify them instead. Anyway, human governance means nothing in this universe. It's a survival-of-the-fittest world, pure social Darwinism. The quality of life we enjoy is due to advancements in productivity, not who governs us, nor political systems, nor so-called freedom or democracy. Do you think aliens care about elected officials?"
"But you're human."
"The Supreme Sorcerer's strength keeps Earth safe. I'm a lord; my strength ensures my voice is heard." Solomon smirked darkly. "I welcome challenges to my authority. Feel free to try."
"That's arrogance," Stark muttered, realizing Solomon's psychological issues might rival his own.
"Yes, it is," Solomon replied calmly.
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