It wasn't a message; it was a death sentence.
He'd literally die if he tried to go by all the demands made in the letter.
No, calling it a letter would be an insult. It was a training regimen.
|Side Tasks unlocked.|
|Whichever choice you make, having more skills hurts no one.|
Me. It hurts me.
Getting it for free was fine. But he was not keen on digging a thousand holes to earn a skill that could keep him from falling into ditches.
|Administrative training.
Type: Skill acquisition
Progress: 11%.
Recommended training time: Two hr/day
Task was administered by the King.|
Stop it. He didn't want another reminder. Once this thing started, it just kept going until at least twenty screens piled up.
|Physical Training.
Type: Basic
Status: 17%
(Recommended)|
I said stop it! I already know.
|Alright.|
Long story short, they wanted him to complete all the training he had skipped until now. That was five years' worth of studying, working, and suffering. And they wanted him to do it in a year.
What a joke.
There was a perfectly trained candidate right in sight! He lived in the palace across the street, had finished all those things on the list and then some. He even had an entire faction of unwanted supporters.
So why'd he, who had multiple factions of opposers, have to go through this?
Reis knew why. Because that was the so-called fairness. All had the equal right to not want the throne.
He just didn't understand why the first prince would refuse the throne after being trained for it his entire life. That was the main cause of this fiasco and the one mystery he would actually like to solve.
|Side Quest|
|Inside The First Prince's Mind
Figure out the reason for Ceron Caelestis' refusal to be the crown prince.
Type: Sub, skipable|
|Tip: Convincing him to accept the position may free you from your burden.|
Convincing any one of the five would work for him.
If only it were easy. Otherwise it wouldn't have come to this in the first place. In case one of them agreed to take the burden, the throne would automatically go to them. The council's concern would be valid if 'Ann' was the one who did that.
Ann's original goal was to convince one of them, as in, trap them into it if the situation called for it. But Reis didn't want to make it the only plan. Cause each of this family was more stubborn than the other.
Speaking of plans, now would be a great time to plan an escape.
|You will fail.|
|Success probability 1%|
That low?!
|The security is tight. You do not have the financial means to support yourself. You will require a disguise which you cannot acquire right now.|
|I recommend waiting until you summon the guardian.|
*Knock*
"Come in."
He stepped inside the office. "Father."
Aldric looked up from the documents, eyes narrowed. He had just sent everyone off an hour ago, but one was already back.
"What is it?"
"I'd rather work in the garden."
A beat of silence passed.
"Well, do that in the evening then." Aldric turned to his aide, "Tell the council to add it to his task list."
"That's not what I—"
"I am busy."
Just like that, he was kicked out. Again.
He ran all the way to the palace; well, the horse did the running, and for what?
"This is the result of impatience."
Halt.
Why was he still hearing that?
|Since contact has been established, the guardian can now talk to you.|
Misery. His whole life was misery dressed in luxury.
——
Reis could clearly see the thought process and a subtle cunning smile on the King's face on the imaginary projection screen above the office of justice, specifically, the crime wing.
How modern of Odyssey to include one in a fully feudal system.
Out of all the places, this was where he got sent. They definitely did it intentionally. As for the idea, it had to be from Aldric.
'Ann' was of no use in the military. Since he didn't use mana, the mage's tower wouldn't be a choice either. He was only starting administrative training, so other sides were a no-go.
That left two places where he could be stationed. The church or this one.
However, Ann had a long record of escapades, so going outside daily was also a no-go. Plus, Aldric couldn't risk Ann causing issues at the church.
It takes one to know one. This was definitely what Aldric was thinking.
How much trouble could he possibly cause in an office working to catch criminals? Burn it down? Some organizations had surely tried that before. They had good backup.
Run away? They controlled the checkpoints.
Join a criminal organization to fight against them? That was just too much work to do just to escape doing work.
"I didn't think father would put us on the same team." Adonis hadn't expected to be on a team at all. He was the youngest of the family. Why did he have to work? "Why didn't you say anything, brother Ann?"
This brother of his could get out of it if he wanted to. Adonis believed it wholeheartedly.
Reis side-glanced at the accusing little brother of his but didn't say anything. It was his misery to carry.
"Good morning, your highnesses." The young woman didn't even look their way as she spoke, "The head office is that way; the chief is waiting for you. You may ignore this."
Ignore the fistfight in the interrogation cell, and the depressed employee corner marked with an actual sign. Burning documents in the fireplace wasn't that much of a safety hazard. The one guy in the corner, looking like a psycho, thinking about his next target, wasn't much to worry about.
Though Reis did feel bad for those sleeping on their desks, he could ignore that as well.
He was almost glad to have escaped work life before entering it. Almost.
|We're glad to be of assistance.|