Chapter 272: Treasured Descent (1/2)
”Refuse?” Tal asked.
Sera sighed again. ”While the prince could probably rescind the title, I don't think it will matter much at this point. The precedent has already been established, so it's best to simply work on mitigation. Which is why Mike is going to do his best to lay low for the foreseeable future.”
”That shouldn't be too hard.” He replied amiably.
The Oracle gave a dirty look. ”I'm serious. You will need to try harder than you usually do. The alarmists in other countries will be watching you closely to see what your intentions are. If you avoid doing anything overtly dangerous to their interests, they might be more willing to write this whole thing off as an overly ambitious gesture from an inexperienced prince.”
”You act like I'm incapable of keeping a low profile.” He shot back.
Both of the women fixed him with blank looks for a few moments.
”Alright, alright. I'll do better this time.”
[Maybe there is some kind of disguise skill I can pick up. Alternatively, I could try to make some kind of disguise item with Artifice. Not sure how I would go about that, though. Fake glasses would be the classic method, but lens crafting technology in this world hasn't exactly reached that point yet. Could I make it some kind of headwear? Like a hat? Some kind of hat of disguise?]
He broke off his internal debate as Sera continued. ”I'll take that at face value for the moment, but we will have to be careful going forward. You especially need to avoid appearing like you are gathering power and influence. That means you can't topple any governments, form any extranational military forces, or seize any territory during our travels.”
”Do you really think we have to worry about that?”
She gave him another blank look.
”Hey! I've done some crazy stuff, I'll admit that, but I've never founded my own country or harmed any existing governments, and I have no intention to.”
”Let's try to keep it that way.” She shot back blandly. ”Now we do need to discuss the more pressing matter.”
”What's that?”
”The First Prince has granted you a choice of three items from the Royal Treasury. You should know that this is a traditional reward given to the individual with the greatest military accomplishments over the course of a war. It's considered a high honor, but it does come with some unspoken rules that you will be expected to follow.”
[Of course it does.] Mike thought to himself, already feeling a little tired out by the whole situation.
Sera continued in full lecture mode. ”While you can technically pick anything, recipients typically save the first choice for an item of monetary value that they will then either use for the development of their holdings or donate it to the church of the god of your choice. This is meant to demonstrate the awardee's dedication or piety. Since you don't have any territory, and I don't think you are particularly religious, I'm going to recommend that you instead give it back to be used for the reconstruction efforts. It may be considered a bit unusual, but doing that should help alleviate concerns that you are building your own power base.”
”Is there any way in particular I should do so?” He asked, figuring that if a money-obsessed person like her was willing to give away a portion of his reward, then she must have a pretty good reason.
”You should have a steward or a minister accompanying you on the trip to keep you informed of the protocol, so I would just recommend picking something that looks valuable and informing them that you would like it to be given to those most affected by the invasions.”
”Sounds simple enough.”
”Now, your next two selections are supposed to be for personal use, but they vary on their intended purposes. The second item is traditionally a tool that will assist you in your duty, demonstrating your commitment to the tasks that have been assigned to you. Depending on the individual in question, this is typically either a weapon or some kind of magical device. Since you are only loosely associated with the country, I think you can get away with just grabbing something that looks useful for your skill set.”
Mike nodded to show that he was still listening, even though his gaze was focused on the crowds outside. As far as he could tell, the populace was already in the process of starting the night's festivities, despite the fact that it was only mid-afternoon.
”The last item is traditionally a free choice among any of the items stored in the treasury. That said, I recommend that you avoid anything too valuable or historically significant. As someone not tied to the country, it would be frowned upon to take something on the level of a national treasure, especially since they've already allocated you enough wealth to live comfortably for the rest of your life.”
”So to summarize, I should grab a weapon, a minor useful item, and something valuable to give away. Is that about it?”
She nodded, ”More or less, but since I fully intend on going with you, I'll make sure your choices are acceptable.”
”Will that be alright? I figured something called the Royal Treasury would have some pretty strict security.”
”It might,” Sera conceded, ”but considering the stories I've heard about the place, I doubt they'd be worried. Besides, I have the distinct feeling that if I leave you alone, you'll come back with something ridiculous.”
He briefly considered arguing against that insinuation, but quickly realized that it would be a losing battle. Unfortunately, his track record would work against.
”We're here.” Tal announced suddenly, saving him from having to reply.
Glancing out the window, Mike saw that she was right. The line of carriages had just passed through the palace gates and were in the process of lining up to disembark their passengers. Within a few minutes all of the awardees were out in the courtyard, before being split into two distinct groups.