Chapter 494: The Burnt City (3)
Albert, the second in line to the throne of the United Kingdom, was, in a word, a boy.
This wasn’t meant as either praise or criticism. He was simply a boy, in the literal sense—someone in his early to mid-teens. Of course, his clothes, hygiene, hair, and skin were better than those of other boys Oliver had seen in that age group, but that was about it.
Oliver had heard that Albert had helped the Governor defend the city during the Great Fire, but it didn’t really seem that way.
‘No, I shouldn’t judge him based solely on appearance or his usual emotional state.’
Oliver reproached himself for being foolish. He wasn't particularly discerning, so it was wrong to judge hastily.
According to the newspapers, Albert had come here to represent his elder brother at the shareholders' meeting of Prometheus Corporation, accompanied by a royal entourage. If that was true, then there must be more to him.
"Dave."
Someone spoke to Oliver, who was lost in thought. It was Philip, the man who had guided him here.
Oliver regained his composure and looked at Philip, who gestured with his eyes for him to greet the prince.
Coming to his senses, Oliver straightened up and respectfully bowed to the young prince.
"Greetings, Your Highness."
"Nice to meet you."
The boy in his early teens responded stiffly, just like the clothes he wore. It wasn’t arrogance, but rather a nervousness, as if he were afraid of making a mistake.
"Apologies for calling you so suddenly."
A third voice naturally entered the conversation. It was the voice of an elderly gentleman who stood behind the prince like a shadow.
"I am the royal secretary. Pleased to meet you."
The elderly man greeted them politely, and Oliver returned the greeting in the same manner.
"I apologize again for summoning you here without prior notice. The city's unrest has not yet settled, so I hope you understand."
"I’m fine," Oliver replied.
"The reason we called you here is because we heard that you contributed to saving this city. We wish to express our gratitude and offer you a fitting reward."
At a signal from the secretary, another servant, who had been standing like a piece of furniture, respectfully presented a silver tray holding a bankbook and some sort of card.
It was a bank Oliver had never seen before.
"...Land Bank?"
Oliver read aloud without realizing it.
"It's a bank with its headquarters in the capital. A small compensation has been deposited in the account. And that is a certificate granting you access to a secret vault at the Land Bank," the secretary explained, pointing to the card on top of the bankbook.
"What is a secret vault?"
"It is a vault that, except in rare circumstances, can only be opened by the owner. It is designed to safeguard both secrets and valuables. It’s a service provided by the Land Bank for a select clientele."
The secretary’s words were true, and judging by his emotional state, it seemed to be quite a rare and valuable reward.
Indeed, a secure vault was something quite uncommon.
Oliver bowed in gratitude.
"Thank you... However, I wonder if I should really accept this."
Both the prince and the secretary tilted their heads in puzzlement, as if the response was unexpected. Especially the secretary, who seemed to suspect that Oliver might have some ulterior motive.
Oliver was known as a fixer who was sensitive to rewards, but he had no hidden agenda here.
"I only accepted this mission at the request of Lieutenant General Philip... I was taught that it’s not proper to receive such excessive rewards from anyone other than the client."
He was sincere. Though having more money would certainly make life easier, and the vault seemed like it could be useful in the future, there was still a certain discomfort in receiving an overly generous reward.
The secretary was about to try to persuade him when the prince waved his hand.
"No, I heard from Sir Philip that you sustained serious injuries while defending the city. This is a well-deserved reward, so do not refuse it."
The prince awkwardly imitated the tone of an adult, but his sincerity was evident. Unlike the secretary, he had no ulterior motives.
"Thank you for your words."
"Remember to address me as 'Your Highness.'"
"...Your Highness."
Following Philip’s advice, Oliver belatedly added the title.
It was his first time meeting a prince, so he wasn’t entirely sure how to behave, but it seemed like continuing as he had been would be fine.
The prince looked at Oliver and spoke.
"...Is your arm alright?"
The prince glanced at Oliver's right arm, which was wrapped in bandages and supported by a splint.
"I heard that it was burned by demonic flames."
"Ah... It was burned, but I'm alright, Your Highness."
Oliver lied. The truth was, the burn on his right arm was not in good condition.
The demonic flames that had scorched even the subcutaneous tissue had turned his arm into a piece of kindling, causing constant pain.
The pain couldn’t be alleviated by painkillers or potions, and healing was out of the question. As a result, Oliver had to endure the searing pain day and night, whether he was sleeping or eating.
It was quite a torment. It affected his movements, stamina, and even his ability to fall asleep.
The only small consolation was that the burning pain somewhat dulled the insatiable hunger he had acquired from the flesh-eating chef. It was a way to forget pain with pain.
However, Oliver didn’t see any need to share these details.
The boy in front of him was, after all, just a boy, and had nothing to do with his injuries.
Yet the prince stared intently at Oliver’s arm, as if feeling some sense of responsibility.
As the atmosphere grew heavy, Philip spoke up.
"Still, your hair looks much more impressive now, Your Highness."
"My hair?" The prince asked, as if he didn’t understand, and looked at Oliver's hair, which was slightly bleached on the right side, with black and a bit of white mixed in.
Oliver also looked at Philip, unsure why this hairstyle was supposed to be impressive.
"Magicians belonging to the traditional school often have hair like this. It makes you look more like a magician," Philip explained.
His words weren’t a lie, but they did raise questions.
"Lieutenant General Philip, I haven’t seen anyone in the Tower of Magic with such hair."
"I said traditional school, didn’t I? The Tower of Magic is modern. They don’t sport such rustic hairstyles," Philip whispered low enough for everyone to hear. He was sincere.
Oliver looked at Philip as if he were Merlin.
"Pfft..."
The prince couldn’t help but let out a chuckle at the banter between Oliver and Philip.
All eyes turned to him, and the prince cleared his throat with a slightly embarrassed look.
"Ahem... I apologize."
"I'm glad you found it amusing," Oliver said to the prince. It was nice if someone found it funny enough to laugh.
The prince looked at Oliver with a peculiar expression, then snapped back to reality after hearing a whisper from the secretary.
"In any case, please accept this," he said.
At the prince’s insistence, Oliver placed the bankbook and card inside his coat. It seemed like this was the end of the conversation, but the prince spoke again. This time, he was getting to the main point.
"If it’s alright with you, may I make a proposal?"
"A proposal?" Oliver asked.
"Yes. You may not have heard it from Sir Philip, but the royal family is currently preparing a massive project."
"I haven’t heard anything from Lieutenant General Philip," Oliver replied.
"Then let me explain. The royal family is collaborating with the traditional school to establish a new magical institution."
"...Pardon?"
Oliver asked, confused, as he hadn’t heard such news from any source, not the newspapers, radio, the Tower of Magic, or even the Forest.
"It's being carried out in secret... though it won’t be for much longer."
He was sincere.
"Our royal family and the Central Council aim to create an organization on par with... or even surpassing the Tower of Magic. We are recruiting as many talented individuals as we can. Would you be interested?"
Oliver didn’t know what to say. This was the first time he had heard of this.
The prince, eager to prove his capability, continued his persuasion.
"To put it simply, we highly value your abilities and wish to recruit you. We’ve done some research on you. I hear you’re currently a regular employee at the Tower of Magic?"
"Yes."
"We would offer you the highest position, salary, and authority. Would you consider working for the kingdom? You wouldn’t have to involve yourself in the business you’re conducting in Landa."
In other words, the prince was offering Oliver a position where he could continue enjoying his current freedom while receiving substantial rewards. Even though Oliver wasn’t well-versed in such matters, his experiences in Landa made it clear that this was a generous offer.
Oliver responded honestly.
"I’m sorry, Your Highness. I’m not a skilled enough magician to deserve such a position."
The prince showed a hint of displeasure.
"I’ve heard about your thesis. Even the masters of other schools were astonished by it."
"...Ah."
Oliver let out a small gasp. It was the thesis based on blood magic and life magic that focused on reconstructing the body at the cellular level, centered around a core.
After writing it, he had been too busy to give it any further thought, so he was a little taken aback when it was brought up again.
"It was just good luck."
"I don’t appreciate lies," the prince remarked.
But Oliver was sincere. Though he was well-versed in blood magic, much of the medical and life magic knowledge that formed the backbone of the thesis was not his own—it came from Theodore’s memories, which he had acquired for free. So, he could only attribute it to luck.
"It’s the truth, Your Highness."
Oliver spoke with genuine conviction. Fortunately, the prince seemed to accept it this time.
Even so, the prince was still dissatisfied, as if it were frustrating that Oliver hadn’t been convinced. Seeing this, Oliver continued.
"And for personal reasons, I must decline your proposal, Your Highness."
"...Why is that?"
"Because I’m satisfied with my current position at the Tower of Magic. Also, if the project the royal family is preparing is as significant as it sounds, it would surely be important. However, I tend to prioritize my personal circumstances, so I wouldn’t be able to work as diligently as you might expect."
This was a remarkable display of self-awareness. Though he had spoken with consideration, the royal secretary, the prince, and even Philip were left speechless.
Did I say something wrong?
"I apologize, Your Highness. This friend of mine is not accustomed to meeting royalty... Please forgive him with your generous grace," Philip interjected.
"It’s alright, Sir Philip... It’s a bit surprising, but I know he means no harm. He’s simply... being honest," the prince said, coming to understand Oliver’s mindset. Oliver nodded in satisfaction, and Philip quickly whispered to him, "Don’t nod."
"Yes," Oliver replied.
The prince sighed with some regret.
"It’s disappointing to be turned down, but I suppose it can’t be helped. Once again, thank you for your efforts to protect this city and its citizens."
"I was just doing my duty, Your Highness. But thank you for your kind words..." Oliver trailed off, hesitating slightly. The prince noticed.
"...What is it?"
"Well... I’m not entirely sure, but if you ever need my assistance, please contact me through the Tower of Magic or an intermediary. I’ll help if I’m in a position to do so."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. I’m curious about the institution the royal family is planning," Oliver said, answering in his usual way, driven by his own curiosity. The prince, Philip, and the secretary stared at Oliver in surprise, as if wondering how such a person could exist.
...
As soon as they parted ways with the prince and exited the room, Philip let out a noise that could have been either a sigh or a chuckle.
"Even if you’ve never met royalty before... You certainly surprised me."
"Ah... I’m sorry."
"There’s no need to apologize... But you might want to ask the Archive to teach you royal etiquette later."
"Royal etiquette?"
"Yes. You never know when His Highness might call for you."
Hmm... Oliver nodded. While it was uncertain if he would ever meet royalty again, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to prepare, just in case. After all, he had business with Merlin anyway.
"In any case, what do you plan to do now? You’ve met the Holy Knight, seen Kenny, and made time for me today as I asked... Oh, were the meetings with the Holy Knight and Kenny satisfactory?"
Oliver paused to think.
The meeting with Kenny had been quite satisfying, as he had confirmed whether or not Kenny had truly performed the demonic ritual, and even learned why he had sacrificed his wife.
Ironically, it was because he loved his family too much that he ended up selling them out.
It was contradictory and difficult to comprehend, but fascinating nonetheless.
However, the meeting with Holy Knight Joanna had not been as fulfilling. It was to be expected, given that they had met at the Holy Knights’ branch in front of other knights.
‘...It wasn’t entirely fruitless, though.’
"Judging by your expression, it seems you weren’t completely satisfied?"
"No, that’s not it. It was definitely worthwhile. Thank you for your consideration."
Oliver formally expressed his gratitude to Philip. From the Pandora incident to meetings with Kenny and the Holy Knight, Philip had gone out of his way to accommodate him.
It wasn’t easy for someone in a high position to extend such favors without feeling some burden, which left Oliver wondering why Philip was so generous.
"We fought together as comrades, and I gave you a drink during the break."
Philip responded heartily to Oliver’s question. It wasn’t the entire reason, but it was sincere.
"Once again, thank you for your kindness."
"Well then, would you like to join me for a meal? I’ve heard you have quite the appetite, and I can eat quite a bit myself. I’ll make sure you’re full today."
"Ah..."
"Ah... That’s a ‘no,’ isn’t it? What, are you not hungry?"
"No, I am hungry. I do want to eat my fill."
It was true. Although the burning pain in his arm made him less aware of his hunger, it didn’t mean he wasn’t hungry.
"It’s just that I have a prior engagement tonight, so I won’t be able to join you for a meal."
"An engagement?"
"Yes, I’m planning to return to Landa tomorrow."
"Huh... Do you have acquaintances in the New World?"
It was a natural question. Officially, apart from Edith, Oliver had no known acquaintances here, and Edith had already left. He had sold his Prometheus Corporation shares at three times the original price after the Great Fire had caused their value to plummet. He had mentioned that he was looking for new investment opportunities.
Oliver answered Philip’s question.
"Yes, I do."
"Well, I suppose it can’t be helped. I wanted to have a drink together, but I’ll let you off this time. You owe me one."
Philip didn’t press him further and cheerfully let Oliver go. Oliver thanked him again for his kindness and left the hotel.
He was heading to meet Joanna.