Chapter 494: The Burned City

Albert, the second in line for the throne of the United Kingdom, could best be described as just a boy.

This wasn’t meant positively or negatively. He was simply a boy, in his early teens. Of course, compared to other boys Oliver had seen, his clothing, hygiene, hair, and skin were better, but that was all.

Oliver had heard that when the great fire broke out, he helped defend the city alongside the governor, but he didn’t seem like it.

‘No, I shouldn’t judge just by appearance or emotional state.’

Oliver scolded himself for being foolish. He wasn’t particularly perceptive, so it was wrong to judge hastily.

The newspapers said he came to finish the Prometheus Corp shareholder meeting in place of his brother, accompanied by Royal Family officials, so there must have been more to him.

“Dave.”

Someone called out to Oliver, who was deep in thought. It was Philip, the one who had guided him here.

Oliver snapped back to reality and looked at him. Philip urged him with his gaze to greet the prince.

Regaining his composure, Oliver followed Philip’s prompt and respectfully bowed to the prince.

“Hello, Your Highness.”

“Nice to meet you.”

The young boy replied stiffly, just like his clothes. It wasn’t out of arrogance or anything, rather, he was nervous, afraid he might make a mistake.

“Sorry for calling you so suddenly.”

A third voice naturally joined the conversation. It belonged to an old gentleman who had been standing like a shadow behind the prince.

“I am the Royal Secretary. Pleased to meet you.”

The old man greeted politely but lightly, and Oliver responded in kind.

“I apologize again for summoning you without prior notice. The city is still in chaos, so please understand.”

“It’s alright.”

“The reason we called for you is that we heard you played a part in saving this city. We wish to express our gratitude with a fitting reward.”

The old man, who introduced himself as the secretary, gave a signal, and another servant standing like a piece of furniture offered a passbook and some sort of card on a silver tray.

It was a bank Oliver had never seen before.

“…Land Bank?”

Oliver read it out unconsciously.

“It’s a bank with its headquarters in the capital. A certain amount of compensation has been deposited into that account. And that is a certificate of the right to use Land Bank’s secret safe.”

The secretary pointed to the card on top of the passbook.

“What is a secret safe?”

“A safe that no one but its owner can open, except in a few exceptional cases. It protects both secrecy and safety. It’s a service provided by Land Bank for a select few clients.”

The secretary’s words were true. Judging by his emotional state, it seemed like a rather valuable reward.

After all, a secure safe was rarer than one might think.

Oliver bowed in gratitude.

“Thank you… but I’m not sure if I should accept this.”

The prince and the secretary tilted their heads, as if the response was unexpected. Especially the secretary seemed to suspect Oliver of having an ulterior motive.

Oliver was a solver sensitive to rewards, but there was no ulterior motive.

“This mission was merely an assignment given by Lieutenant General Philip… I’ve been taught that it’s not right to receive such excessive rewards from people other than the client.”

It was sincere. Although having more money and a safe seemed convenient and appealing, excessive rewards were honestly uncomfortable in many ways.

Just as the secretary was about to offer more explanation, the prince waved him off.

“No, I heard from Sir Philip that you were gravely injured while defending the city. This is well-deserved, so don’t decline it.”

The prince awkwardly imitated an adult’s tone, but his feelings were genuine. Unlike the secretary, there was no ulterior motive.

“Thank you for saying so.”

“You should address me as ‘Your Highness.’”

“…Your Highness.”

Following Philip’s advice, Oliver belatedly added the proper title.

It was his first time meeting a prince, so he wasn’t sure how to act, but it seemed he just needed to keep doing what he was doing.

The prince looked over at Oliver before speaking again.

“…Is your arm alright?”

The prince was asking while looking at Oliver’s heavily bandaged and splinted right arm.

“I heard your fingers were scorched by flames.”

“Ah… I did suffer burns, but I’m fine, Your Highness.”

Oliver lied. Truthfully, the burns on his right arm were not in good condition.

The demon’s flames that burned down to the subcutaneous tissue had turned his arm into a log, causing constant pain.

This pain couldn’t even be alleviated by painkillers or potions, and treatment was of course impossible. Oliver had to endure the searing pain 24 hours a day, whether he was sleeping or eating.

It was quite debilitating. It affected his actions and stamina, and even made it hard to fall asleep.

About the only silver lining was that the searing pain somewhat quelled the terrible hunger he had gained after encountering the Flesh Cook, forgetting pain with pain.

However, Oliver didn’t share these facts.

The boy in front of him was just that, a boy, and had nothing to do with his injury.

Yet, the prince stared intently at Oliver’s arm, as if feeling some responsibility.

In the growing tension, Philip finally spoke.

“But the hair looks cooler now, Your Highness.”

“Hair?”

The prince looked puzzled and stared at Oliver’s hair, which had a mixture of black and a bit of white from slight bleaching on the right side.

Oliver, too, looked at Philip, not understanding why his hair was considered cool.

“Mages in the traditional school usually have hair like this. You could say it looks more mage-like.”

Philip wasn’t lying. That’s why Oliver was confused.

“Lieutenant General Philip, I haven’t seen anyone in the Tower of Magic with such hair though?”

“Didn’t I say it’s the traditional school? The Tower of Magic is modern. They don’t bother with outdated hairstyles.”

Philip lowered his voice but made sure everyone could hear. By the way, he was serious, and Oliver looked at him like he had at Merlin.

“Pfft…”

The prince couldn’t hold back and burst into soft laughter at the banter between Oliver and Philip.

Everyone’s attention turned to him, and the prince, embarrassed, blushed and cleared his throat.

“Ahem, ahem… Excuse me.”

“I’m glad you found it amusing.”

Oliver said to the prince. He was pleased if someone found joy in it.

The prince looked curiously at Oliver, who had said such a thing, then snapped out of it after listening to the secretary’s whisper.

“Anyway, please accept it.”

With the prince’s urging, Oliver tucked the passbook and card away in his coat. Just when he thought it was over, the prince spoke again—it was time for the main topic.

“If you don’t mind, may I make a proposal?”

“A proposal?”

“Yes. You might not have heard from Sir Philip, but the Royal Family is preparing for a grand project right now.”

“I haven’t heard anything from Lieutenant General Philip.”

“Then let me explain. The Royal Family is working with the traditional school to establish a new magical institution.”

“What?”

Oliver asked again. He hadn’t heard even a whisper about such a thing from the newspapers, the radio, the Tower of Magic, or even Forest.

“It’s an ongoing, secret project… but it won’t be for long.”

He was telling the truth.

“Our Royal Family and the Central Council are aiming for an organization that rivals… no, surpasses the Tower of Magic. That’s why we’re gathering as much talent as possible. Would you be interested?”

Facing this unexpected proposal, Oliver didn’t know what to say. He had only just heard about it.

The prince tried to persuade him. He had a strong desire to prove his ability.

“To put it simply, we’re trying to recruit you because we value your abilities. We’ve done some investigating, and I heard you’re currently just a regular employee at the Tower of Magic?”

“Yes.”

“We’ll match your position, salary, and authority to the highest level. Would you consider working for the kingdom? We won’t interfere with your business in Randa.”

In other words, they wouldn’t touch the freedom Oliver currently enjoyed in Randa, while offering the maximum compensation. Although Oliver wasn’t familiar with such matters, thanks to his years in Randa, he could tell it was an exceptional offer.

Oliver answered honestly.

“I’m sorry, Your Highness. I’m not a mage talented enough to accept such terms.”

The prince showed a hint of displeasure.

“I’ve heard about the thesis you’ve written. Even masters from other schools were impressed by it.”

“Ah…”

Oliver let out a small exclamation. It was a thesis based on blood magic and the life school, centered around reconstructing cells from the core to create a new body.

Having only written it and done nothing with it afterward due to his busy schedule, Oliver was a bit embarrassed that it was being brought up again.

“It was just good luck.”

“Teacher, I dislike lies.”

The prince said. However, Oliver was also being truthful. While the blood magic was his own, the medical and life school knowledge—the foundation of the thesis—was something he had acquired for free through Theodore’s memories, so it really was just luck.

“It’s true, Your Highness.”

Oliver said earnestly. Thankfully, this seemed to resonate with the prince, who didn’t press further.

Still, the prince was dissatisfied with his lack of success in persuading him, and Oliver spoke to the prince again.

“And for personal reasons, I must refuse that proposal, Your Highness.”

“…Why?”

“Because I’m satisfied with my current position at the Tower of Magic. Also, since the project prepared by the Royal Family is likely significant, my personal priorities would prevent me from working as diligently as you might expect.”

This was an exceptional level of self-awareness. Though well-meaning, his words left the prince, the secretary, and even Philip gaping in astonishment.

Had he made a mistake?

“I apologize, Your Highness. My friend here is meeting royalty for the first time… Please show some understanding.”

“It’s alright, Sir Philip… While it’s surprising, I know there’s no ill will. It’s just… sincere.”

The prince understood Oliver’s intentions. Oliver nodded in satisfaction, and Philip made a comment.

“Don’t nod.”

“Yes.”

The prince, with a hint of regret, spoke again.

“It’s disappointing to be turned down, but it can’t be helped. Nevertheless, thank you once again for your efforts on behalf of this city and its citizens.”

“I was just doing my job, Your Highness. But thank you for your words…”

Oliver trailed off. The prince noticed.

“…Is something wrong?”

“Well… I’m not certain, but if you ever need my assistance, please contact me through the Tower of Magic or an intermediary. If I’m in a position to help, I will.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. I’m also curious about the institution the Royal Family is preparing.”

Oliver responded in his usual way, driven by his interest. The prince, Philip, and the secretary looked at Oliver with wide eyes, as if saying, ‘What kind of person is this?’

***

“Ha!”

As soon as they parted ways with the prince and stepped out of the room, Philip made a noise that could have been either a sigh or a chuckle.

“Even if it’s your first time encountering royalty… you really surprised me!”

“Ah… I’m sorry.”

“No need to apologize… But later, you should ask the Archive to teach you about royal etiquette.”

“Royal etiquette?”

“Yes. After all, you never know, the prince might actually call for you.”

Hmm… Oliver nodded. It was indeed uncertain whether he would ever meet royalty again, but since he had been told to seek him out if necessary, learning in advance wouldn’t be a bad idea. Besides, he had business with Merlin.

“By the way, what do you plan to do now? You’ve met with the Holy Knight as you wanted, met with Kenny, and took time out of your day as I asked… Oh, were you satisfied with your meetings with the Holy Knight and Kenny?”

Oliver pondered for a moment.

His meeting with Kenny was somewhat satisfying. He confirmed that Kenny had indeed performed the devil’s ritual and learned why he had even offered his wife.

Ironically, it was because he loved his family too much that he sold them out.

It was contradictory and hard to understand, but interesting nonetheless.

However, the meeting with Templar Joanna was less satisfying. This was because they met at the Holy Knights’ branch, in front of other Holy Knights.

‘…It wasn’t entirely fruitless, though.’

“Judging by your reaction, it seems something is bothering you?”

“No, that’s not it. It was quite enlightening. Thank you for your consideration.”

Oliver formally expressed his gratitude to Philip. Whether it was the matter with Pandora, his meetings with Kenny and the Holy Knight, or whatever else, Philip had been very accommodating during Oliver’s time here.

Even though he was a high-ranking official, offering this degree of convenience couldn’t have been easy. Oliver was somewhat curious as to why Philip was so accommodating.

“Because we’re comrades who’ve fought together, and I even shared a drink with you during our break.”

Philip answered cheerfully when Oliver voiced his doubts. It wasn’t the whole story, but it was sincere.

“Thank you for your kindness once again.”

“So, how about we grab something to eat together? I hear you have quite the appetite. I’m no slouch when it comes to eating either. I’ll make sure you leave full.”

“Ah…”

“Ah… that’s a no, isn’t it? What, are you not hungry?”

“No, I’m hungry. I’d love to eat till I’m full.”

He meant it. The searing pain made his hunger less severe, but it didn’t mean he wasn’t hungry.

“But I have an appointment later tonight, so I won’t be able to join you for a meal.”

“An appointment?”

“Yes, I’m planning to return to Randa tomorrow.”

“Heh… Do you know someone in the New Continent?”

It was a natural question. Officially, Oliver knew no one here besides Edith, and she had already left long ago.

Edith had sold her Prometheus Corp shares, which had plummeted in value due to the great fire, at three times their peak price. By the way, she said she was looking for a new investment opportunity.

Oliver answered Philip’s query.

“Yes, I know someone.”

“Well, there’s nothing to be done then. I was hoping to have a drink with you. I’ll let you off this time. You owe me one.”

Philip didn’t press further and willingly let Oliver go. Oliver once again thanked him for his consideration and left the hotel.

He was off to meet Joanna.