The old man stayed silent for a while, simply staring at Aric as if trying to recognize him. However, the longer he stared at the fourth prince, the more confusion welled up. He was certain he didn’t know the prince, even though it seemed Aric knew him.


    At the very least, that is what he made it seem like.


    "Do you... know me?" the old man asked. In that moment, the sadness in Aric’s expression swiftly dissolved, leaving behind his usual nk look.


    Aric cleared his throat. "Uh, no… I heard there was an inn open here."


    Aric’s words only deepened the confusion on the old man’s face.


    "I don’t open until next month…"


    ’I’m too early…’ Aric sighed.


    "Then we apologize for intruding like this, but we n on paying for a stay here," Aric exined.


    The old man stayed silent for a while, contemting.


    "How many rooms, and for how long?"


    "We’re not yet certain how long we’ll be staying, but we’d like to pay for the entire residence, allowing only us to stay until we depart," Aric offered.


    "I don’t know, that doesn’t seem good for business," Hitoki mused.


    "A hundred thousand. That’s how much we’ll pay, for this month alone," Aric countered.


    "A hundred thousand silver… that’s not bad... but," the old man stroked his chin in thought.


    "Not silver… gold," Aric rified.


    The old man’s face tightened, his skepticism evident.


    "Is this a new type of scam? What are you three really doing here?" Hitoki’s guard went up, wary of the trio.


    "I’m not messing with you," Aric reassured as he retrieved a bag of gold from his inventory. "I’m offering an honest transaction." He tossed each bag onto a nearby chair, slightly opened, revealing the gold coins within.


    The man expression shifted as aric did that, not because of the gold, but how he had retrived them…he assumed magic.


    Hitoki turned, looking at the bags. He slowly moved over, using his hand to pry the bags open further, confirming they were indeed filled with gold coins. He nced back at Aric.


    "Isn’t this... too much?"


    Aric raised his hand, as though refusing a rejection. "No, no. Please ept this aspensation for inconveniencing you before you’ve even opened."


    The weariness shifted from the old man’s face, reced by gratitude.


    "You are too kind… Please, follow me. I will show you around," the old man said, gesturing for them toe along.


    ---


    Hitoki took the group of three around therge house, showing them all rooms and allowing them to choose where they would reside. After the tour, the old man led Aric into a study to finalize the transaction.


    "It’s a nice house," Aricplimented, walking over to a desk and running his hand over the wood.


    "Thank you. I have a question, though," Hitoki’s voice had changed. It was a tone Aric recognized, and it made him smile subtly.


    "No other person is aware of my intention to turn this house into an inn… so how exactly do you have that information… your highness?"


    Aric turned around, ncing at Hitoki, who now held a long sword in hand, wiping the edges of the de with a rag.


    "You cunning old man... you’ll get killed for knowing everything," Aric grinned at the man.


    "Well, that is my job, your highness. But I have a feeling you know that as well," Hitoki dropped the rag to the floor. "However, this is very confusing, even for me. If I somehow caught the attention of the imperial court, why would they send the sickly fourth prince—who, for some reason, doesn’t look very sick as of now? There are a lot of things not adding up."


    "Despite the man you are, I’m not here for you… unless you have ties to the rebellion," Aric said.


    "Come on, even I have my limits," Hitoki scoffed.


    "Then you have nothing to worry about… so please, lower the sword. I’m getting nervous."


    Hitoki sighed, cing the de to the side.


    "I know better than to harm the imperial prince. It was only for intimidation… but it didn’t seem to work."


    Aric shook his head with a smile.


    "No, I was very intimidated, actually."


    "Don’t patronize me."


    Aricughed—perhaps genuinely, for the first time since he regressed.


    "The things you know... how do you know them?" Hitoki’s curiosity was evident.


    Aric shrugged slightly.


    "Who knows? Perhaps I’ll tell you one day. It won’t be today, though."


    The old man sighed. "Well, I can appreciate the emphasis on keeping sources a secret."


    "I’m sure you can."


    "Aszer’s n for rebellion... so it has reached the imperial ears? No offense to you, your highness, but if they sent you alone, they must not be taking him seriously."


    Aric stayed silent for a moment. The thought crossed his mind—could that be the reason? However, the contemtion quickly faded. Aric knew Xavier was not one to take such matters lightly.


    "Perhaps. It does not matter. What does is that I have a job to do… and I don’t mean to intrude, but there’s no better ce to set up base than here."


    "But you know my upation. Shall I not be smitten by the royal hand of righteousness for my sins?" the old man asked.


    "I am far from a hand of righteousness. All I am is a man with a goal... and I see nothing but that."


    The old man grinned slightly before turning away and heading toward the door of the study.


    "Alright then, your highness. Please enjoy your stay at my home," Hitoki said, exiting the study.


    Aric walked around the desk, moving to the leather chair behind it. He sat down, leaning back with a long sigh.


    [You have begun your first conquest: Byzeth Kingdom.]


    [Conquest feature has been activated.]


    [Hidden Base Established: Stronghold security +5%.]