On a fine morning, after dealing with annoying complaints, a father was asked to decide chores for his children to teach them responsibility and build their character. The house was too big, and there was so much to do. It was about time they contributed.
His eldest son and daughter were already doing what they could with the military and the research facility, but no one wanted to be a part of his actual tasks. If he could slip some annoying chores into their files, he would definitely have more time to enjoy tea.
The treasury needed a manager. Someone needed to check over the churches. The foreign diplomats were getting more demanding by the day. The archives hadn't been updated for years. Then there were affairs outside the house.
He knew what to do with them. There was a negotiator, a devout business expert, and even a top academic to put to use.
But what to do with the troublemakers?
He couldn't have them beat up diplomats, burn paper, or melt gold to make statues. They messed up enough without formal decrees giving them the chance.
Well, there was one place. The perfect place.
Reis could practically see the thought process and an evil smile on the king's face as he sealed the documents. He could see it 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.
It takes one to know one. This was definitely what their father 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.
Not say anything? He had run to the palace the moment he heard of it. Technically, the horse did the running, but still.
"Father, I'd rather work in the gardens."
"Well, do it in the evening then. Prepare the documents, Chancellor. I will pass it immediately."
So, now he had to oversee criminals in the morning, trees in the evening. That's without counting the things related to his own mansion and staff, cause the council had to remove the one doing those, and the forced study session.
If he had asked again, he'd probably have ended up doing more, not less.
The utter chaos of yesterday had found its match in the chaos of this office.
Reis could only press his palm to his forehead in disbelief.
"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 he did feel bad for those sleeping on their desks, he could ignore that as well.
Reis was almost glad to have escaped work life before entering it. Almost.
|We're glad to be of assistance.|
——
"Good morning, Your Highness. It's been a while since we had the chance to meet."
The old man, Sir Phineas, made it sound as if they were long-lost friends reuniting after a decade. But it had only been a month. 'Ann' had an encounter with them involving a very tall wall, a very short rope, and loss of dignity while trying run away for the nth time.
But a month was a long time of peace, considering the third prince caused something every other day.
"Please have a seat," Phineas gestured, "Let's have some tea."
Reis took a seat, but Adonis didn't. His eyes darted around the room, landing on the walls. "Sir Phineas, why do you have so many pictures in your office?"
Priorities.
There were many pictures in this room, which was rare, cause magic cameras cost a lot and the pictures weren't…pleasing to the eye.
"You noticed." The old man's voice was a mixture of a smile and a knowing vibe. "Prince Ann never bothered to ask. He was usually too busy looking for the nearest window."
Reis ignored the jab. He knew the art of the 'indirect diss' well enough to know exactly when to shut up and sip his tea
Adonis had never been to this office before. In contrast, 'Ann', on the other hand, had been dropped here so many times throughout his childhood to his teen years that he probably had a favorite chair. He didn't.
"I've been in this office for thirty years," Phineas said, leaning back. "I've poured my blood, sweat, and soul into it."
Sir Phineas was just a field-level employee when he joined. Now he was in charge of the whole office. Back then, this office only caught and detained criminals. Now they were responsible for the investigation, interrogation, and security planning, along with the full responsibility of law and order, minus judging. Time sure flies.
He knew emotional manipulation was useless on the Third Prince. A few years ago, he'd tried a heartfelt lecture about how 'Ann's escapades created mountains of paperwork for underpaid guards. Ann had simply looked him in the eye and told him to ask the King for a raise.
But the youngest was different. "Even so," Phineas continued, his eyes cloudy with feigned sentiment, "there were people I never managed to catch. I keep their pictures here to remind myself of my failures."
If you had time to take a photo, you had time to tackle them, Reis thought. That seemed more logical to him.
"But..." Adonis leaned forward, pointing at a frame near the center. "There's a picture of brother Ann there."
|You have learned the Skill: 'Keep It Down.' You no longer spit out tea when receiving a psychological shock.|
Thank god, Reis thought, gulping the hot liquid down and barely maintaining his poker face.
Sure enough, there was a moderate-sized portrait of 'Ann' prominently displayed on the wall of shame.
"Ah, you noticed?" Phineas smiled. It was the smile of a shark. "I got that one from His Majesty himself. We always have such a hard time tracking the Prince down; I figured the staff needed a reference."
Reis didn't know whether to be proud or embarrassed. It wasn't his achievement, but now it was his burden to bear.
"Enough of the trip down memory lane. Just tell us what we're doing here. I'm sure my father hasn't lost his mind entirely enough to put us in charge of anything. Let's get this over with so we can leave."
Phineas's smile widened, making Reis want to look anywhere else. This man was a fox in human skin. How else would he have taken care of this office?
He slid a stack of documents across the desk, already signed and sealed.
"We were ordered to reinforce the palace security. I wish to ask you for help."Reis blinked. This time, his practised unbothered expression faltered. "Help? With what?"
"It would be wonderful if you could map out the gaps," Phineas said, his eyes twinkling.
|Task: The thief knows more about the lock than the key does: Active.|
'I hate you.'
He hated how the system was translating the underlying intentions.
King Aldric wanted to put all their best qualities to use. How else would it be a fair fight?
"The office still isn't prepared since we're only informed yesterday, so you can work from home for the time being," Phineas added, his tone far too pleasant. too promising.
"Since Prince Adonis is attending the academy, he can look over some of our upgrade plans and share ideas."
Don't look at me again. Just don't. Reis did not want any more of this.
"And Your Highness," the old man said, ignoring Reis's silent pleas for mercy. "There is one more thing. A personal request from His Majesty. He's asked that you personally oversee some cases we are having trouble with."
Reis froze, his tea halfway to his mouth, which he was drinking to avoid the old man. The steam fogged his vision, but it couldn't hide the sheer absurdity of the statement.
What was he? An investigator?
They were already asking a professional escape artist to count on the bars on his own cage. Add actual tasks on top?
"No."
"It's an order from his majesty."
"I'm not doing it," Reis repeated, "And I already told his majesty, I'd rather do anything else than work here. Don't push it."
"I see." Phineas let out a long, theatrical sigh. He looked at the portrait of Ann on the wall, then back to Reis, wearing an expression of profound disappointment.
|You have stepped on a trap.|
Reis's heart sank to the earth's core. He needed to complete the summoning escape from this dreadful situation. Fast.