The prince’s expression brightened; he wanted Aiden to request something so that the royal family wouldn’t be in debt to the new Head Priest.
"Please, go ahead." The prince spoke.
’Why do I feel like this is the wrong way to go about this? Even if the prince has the power to grant me access to the library, the head of the academy would still need to be involved, and what if the king asks? What use do I have for forbidden knowledge?’
’Zero, is this really the right choice?’
[If you want the truth, I have no idea... I also have no idea whether your request would be granted; the best way is to get permission from the head of the magical academy, but you can still get permission from the king]
’I can play this another way. Instead of rushing to the library, I’m going to slow down. With my position, I can be handed things, but I can’t let myself be a suspect, since I told the king I’ll visit three cities to give the people hope. I’ll do just that’
’I’ll find time to visit the magic academy before I leave so I can get to know the head of the academy. After that, I’ll slowly pry my way to the underground library and get access to the books there without bringing suspicion on myself’
[That would probably be the best way to do that, but what then are you going to ask the prince? You’ve been silent for a minute now]
Aiden turned towards the prince with a smile on his face. "My Prince, I thought I had something I needed, but to be honest, I couldn’t think of anything. If I finally have something I want, can I visit sometime in the future"
"Yes, of course, the royal palace is always open to you, Your Holiness," the prince replied, though deep down, it wasn’t the answer he had hoped for.
He wanted Aiden to ask for something now; as long as the royal family repaid the favor, they wouldn’t feel indebted to him. It was something the current king did, no matter how small; the king always repays any person who helps the royal family or the kingdom. However, he still couldn’t force Aiden to make a request.
"I appreciate it, Your Holiness," Aiden replied with a nod.
The ride continued in silence for a few minutes, and then the carriage began to slow down; the sound of the horses became quieter until the carriage finally came to a complete stop.
The door to the carriage opened from the outside, as a knight stood there with his head down. Aiden stepped off as he was closer to the door, followed by the prince.
The moment Aiden’s feet touched the ground, he looked around; they had arrived in front of a large stone building close to the wall. With the route they took, they were now in the common district.
Knights stood guard all around the building, while even more soldiers patrolled the area. Aiden could tell the kingdom could not take chances anymore; with the knights around, there was simply no way to escape.
"This way, Your Highness, Your Holiness," A knight spoke as he led them towards the door of the large building.
The prince walked in front while Aiden followed behind; all the knights who laid eyes on them bowed their heads almost immediately.
’I still haven’t gotten used to this; everyone bows to me...Zero, I have a question: if the goddess hadn’t reincarnated me, maybe I would get the merchant class I want. Would this attack still happen?’
[The Draken Empire wants to conquer the entire world; no matter how powerful the Elaris Theocracy is, this kingdom is naturally next on their list, so soon or later the attack was going to happen]
The moment Aiden stepped through the entrance, he couldn’t help but pause for a second; the hall was much larger than he had expected. Rows of benches filled the room, and more than a hundred refugees sat quietly.
The hall was a little noisy since they sat down together; most of them sat with their families, quietly talking among themselves while waiting for Aiden. They had already been briefed about the situation, but not everything was revealed; they were simply told the Head Priest was coming to check on them.
Some children ran between benches playing with other children, with their parents pulling them back. Among the refugees, Aiden could see some elderly and young boys, but the majority of the refugees were women, and among their population, beastkin were more.
This was Aiden’s first time seeing beastkin, and so many of them gathered in one place; he couldn’t help as his eyes lingered on them.
To the rest of the people there, it looked like Aiden had already started his duties, but he was looking at something entirely different.
Some of the beastkins looked almost human except for a pair of animal ears and a tail. Some had patches of soft fur around their bodies, and others were closer to beasts with fur covering their entire body.
Their appearance varied, but having lived on Earth, Aiden could immediately recognize a particular species; the first ones he noticed were cat women.
They had pointed ears resting on top of their heads, long tails that swayed behind them, and sharp eyes that carefully watched the surroundings. Many of them had slender figures, while some were a little plump.
Not far from them was another group of several fox women, with their odd-colored hair and fluffy tails; they stood out immediately. Some of them had children on their arms, with their ears twitching every now and then while listening to the conversation.
Aiden had to look away and continue forward towards an elevated stage in front of the hall, and soon the noise died down as they noticed the clothing of the Crown Prince.
Immediately, everyone stood up and bowed their heads to greet the Crown Prince, and after that, Aiden stepped forward.