Chapter 91. Something I Must Buy

Radel went out to Marcellent on the weekend.

Since it was the weekend right after the midterms, other students also wanted to go out, but they were all stuck in the academy without a choice.

The academy only allowed students to go out during the designated outing weeks unless there was a special reason.

But it was a different story for Radel, who had an outing permit.

It was for this that he had accepted Professor Marianne's proposal.

For Radel, who had something he had to buy as soon as possible, this was a necessary outing.

“Is this the place?”

Radel stood in front of a large-scale building and looked up at the sign.

The place he had arrived at was the Marcellent branch of the Spear Guild.

Radel had sent a letter to Baron Grandal Spear a few days ago.

Asking if he could help him with something he wanted to buy.

Baron Grandal Spear, who had gotten a clue about a new carriage business thanks to Radel, had gladly sent a positive reply.

The reply contained a request to please stop by the Spear Guild in Marcellent, where his son was working as the branch manager.

Radel entered the Spear Guild.

As he entered, the employees working on the first floor greeted Radel.

“Welcome to the Spear Guild!”

Among them stood a figure who looked like Baron Grandal Spear in his younger days.

Radel recognized at a glance that he was the branch manager here.

He also recognized Radel and approached him.

“Are you perhaps His Highness, Radel Silvert Credian?”

“That is correct.”

“I knew it. I have been waiting for you.”

He was Cronin Spear, the son of Baron Grandal Spear.

He was also the heir to the Spear Guild, who had been gaining experience by helping with the family business from an early age and had recently been appointed as the manager of the Marcellent branch.

Cronin, who had received prior notice from his father that the 8th Prince was coming, could tell that Radel, with his blond hair and golden eyes, was the prince his father had spoken of until his ears bled.

“I have heard a lot about you from my father. I will do my best to serve you.”

Cronin Spear recalled his father's request.

His father, who had emphasized over and over that he must serve the prince with no shortcomings.

What kind of existence was that prince, anyway?

Cronin couldn't understand, but the 8th Prince seemed to have become a very important person to his father.

In fact, the carriage designed by the 8th Prince together with Grandal Spear was selling like hotcakes.

Carriage orders were backed up until this winter, and it was the first time orders had been backed up like this since the Spear Guild started its carriage business.

‘Of course, I admit that it has done well, but to say it's all the 8th Prince's merit is…’

Cronin's cold gaze turned to Radel.

From Radel, who was looking around the Spear Guild, he couldn't feel anything particularly special.

Radel, who was looking around the shop with a kind smile and curious eyes, just seemed like an ordinary first-year academy student.

‘A warming chair? Since he attends the academy where they learn magic, isn't it something he could easily come up with?’

He thought it was just that no one had thought of applying magic to a chair until now, and that it was an item that would have come out someday as time passed.

Wasn't he just being overly praised because he was royalty?

His judgment was that, no matter how he looked, he didn't seem like the great person his father had described.

* * *

Radel was taking in every nook and cranny of the Spear Guild.

For Radel, who often opened a stall at the academy, the experience of looking around the third-largest guild in the empire was a good opportunity to study how to do business in the future.

‘Let's remember anything that can be a reference here.’

Radel didn't have a clear future ambition yet, but after opening a stall, he found that doing business wasn't bad.

It was also fun in that cash came in right away.

As befitting a branch in the magical city of Marcellent, the first floor displayed various magical items, magical tools, medicinal herbs, and potions.

Even at a glance, there were many high-quality and quite expensive products.

So he could tell that customers who wanted better quality or more luxurious things, even if they had to pay more, were the main clientele.

After carefully looking over the size of the shop, the number of employees, the display methods, and the interior, Radel's eyes caught the stairs leading to the second floor.

Is there something there too?

No matter how large a shop in Marcellent was, there weren't many shops of a scale that used the entire second floor.

Radel was curious about how the Spear Guild was utilizing the second floor.

Just then, Cronin said to Radel.

“Let's go to the second floor. I will escort you, Your Highness.”

Radel headed upstairs, following Cronin.

When they went up the stairs, a luxuriously decorated reception room appeared.

It wasn't displayed with products like the first floor.

In a way, it looked more like the hall of a mansion than a shop.

As Cronin guided Radel to his seat, an employee approached and set down a teacup and refreshments.

When Radel drank the tea, this was also a high-quality product.

‘So to speak, this is for VIPs only.’

Radel guessed the purpose of the second floor.

It was probably a place to invite guests that the branch manager, Cronin, had to attend to personally.

Cronin sat opposite Radel and opened his mouth familiarly.

“You said you were looking for an item. If you tell me, I will show it to you. I may not look like it, but we have everything that can be found in Marcellent.”

Radel could read a strong sense of pride in Cronin's words.

It seemed the Spear Guild's status in Marcellent was quite high.

“Everything?”

“That is correct. All of our Marcellent branch employees are former magicians. There are no magical items that we cannot handle.”

In fact, Cronin had no magical abilities, but he possessed considerable knowledge about the magical tools, potions, and ingredients that magicians needed.

That much was basic for doing business in the magical city.

Since the 8th Prince had purchased a carriage not long ago, he might be looking for a fine horse to pull the carriage this time, or a mountable magical beast that could only be found in Marcellent.

Naturally, the Spear Guild also handled living creatures.

Cronin was confident that he could meet any of the 8th Prince's demands.

Hearing his confident tone, Radel smiled as if relieved.

“That's wonderful. To be honest, I was a little concerned. I was worried I might not be able to find it here.”

Hearing those words, Cronin's pride was a little hurt.

What in the world was it that the 8th Prince would say such a thing?

“You can speak comfortably. What have you come to buy?”

As Cronin spoke with sincerity, Radel also answered with sincerity.

“I've come to buy a building.”

* * *

A building.

Cronin froze for a moment.

He came to buy a building?

Because an unexpected word came out of Radel's mouth, his response was unusually slow.

“……You are looking for a building.”

This was the first time he had a customer looking for real estate at a guild.

Cronin asked again, stiffly.

“Are you referring to a building within Mar……cellent?”

“Yes, that's right.”

At Radel's cheerful reply, his dazed mind returned to reality.

Real estate in Marcellent.

Not some quiet countryside, but real estate in the second-largest magical city after the capital?

He didn't know how much a prince's allowance was, but it was doubtful whether there would be a property at a price he could afford.

‘The numbers will be on a different level.’

It was a different story for a building than for a carriage.

Of course, the guild didn't handle it either…….

‘Does he know what the market price is here?’

Cronin had also heard rumors about the 8th Prince.

It was already a famous story that he was in a situation where he had no strings to pull and no source of money.

Although he was cooperating with Baron Grandal Spear in business, it wasn't as if the Spear Guild officially supported him.

Since he had almost no exchange with his maternal family, the Silvert ducal family, realistically, the amount of money the prince could have would be about the allowance from the imperial family.

Was it possible to buy a building with that?

No matter how much he thought about it, it seemed impossible.

However, Cronin had just boasted to Radel that there was nothing he couldn't get.

He had his pride, so he couldn't just send him away by saying they didn't handle such things.

He didn't know why he wanted to buy a building, but it was also necessary to let the 8th Prince know the reality.

Cronin stood up from his seat and said.

“I happen to know a good broker. He is the most trustworthy person in Marcellent, so I will introduce him to you, Your Highness. Let's go out together.”

At Cronin's words, Radel's face lit up with joy.

“Really? Thank you.”

Seeing the delighted Radel, he looked like a naive boy.

Could that prince, who knew nothing of the world, buy a proper building even if he had the money?

Cronin shook his head inwardly.

* * *

Cronin and Radel left the guild together.

Seen off by the Spear Guild employees, they came outside and headed through the commercial district to the residential area.

As Cronin walked, he pointed to a house in sight.

“Is that the kind of house Your Highness is looking for?”

“That looks fine. Though the fact that it's in good condition is a drawback. Actually, any building is fine. The bigger, the better.”

Cronin was puzzled by Radel's answer.

“Are you not buying it for your own use, Your Highness?”

“Of course I am, but…… the more flaws it has, the more welcome.”

It was an incomprehensible statement.

But Radel was so nonchalant that Cronin shut his mouth.

Did that prince think differently from ordinary people?

Information about the 8th Prince came to his mind.

‘It was said that among the royalty, he is polite and has humility ingrained in him.’

Among the nobles who were used to royalty with unusual or extreme personalities, such a personality aroused more suspicion.

If he was that normal, they would rather worry about what his true self was like.

“What is the purpose of Your Highness buying a building……. Your Highness?”

While he had briefly taken his eyes off him, Radel had disappeared.

He was definitely with him just a moment ago.

Cronin was surprised and looked around.

Fortunately, he was able to find Radel over there, asking the residents something.

As he approached, Radel's voice could be heard.

“Is there by any chance an empty house in this neighborhood with a bad reputation?”

“Oh my, why would you look for a house like that.”

“Any house is fine. A house with ominous rumors would be even better.”

Cronin could also see the residents' expressions changing from moment to moment.

It was dumbfounding why he was going around asking such things.

At Radel's words, the residents looked at each other and then asked again.

“Ominous rumors?”

At that, Radel leaned in close to the residents and whispered.

“……Yes, for example, if someone died in it.”

Seeing that, Cronin unwittingly put a hand to his forehead.

Is it normal to ask such a thing so openly?

It was a moment that made him question his father's intention in entrusting the prince to him.