Chapter 54: Preparations IV

Of course, Herbert did not originally intend to solve the plague this early, but knowing that the protagonist was already being entangled with the Ravenmoons, he had to make use of this chance to take care of it before the protagonist comes as it would be troublesome to solve the both of them at the same time.

For the next few days, Herbert spent his time expanding his network of control over the Ravenmoon duchy. Naturally, this was all under the surveillance of his father who did not mind what he was doing.

During this time, he had also settled the matter of creating suitable defensive equipment for Ingrid using the monster cores that he had on hand. This was for the sake of creating a layer of protection just in case she gets into danger. At the moment, he still hadn't fully squeezed out Ingrid's use so he couldn't possibly let her die without being fully exploited.

In addition to this, he had also managed to grab a hold of Mr. Oscar who finally agreed to meet with him. With Mr. Oscar accepting his invitation, Herbert guessed that he might have already accepted his offer and is either waiting for more benefits or has a different request in mind. So, he prepared for their meeting with this in mind.

Since Herbert wanted to give Mr. Oscar a different signal, he invited him to have lunch in the city where he rented out the entire second floor of a famous restaurant. This should clue him in that their meeting should be kept separate from the matters of the current Ravenmoon household.

The second floor has a terrace where it has a good view of the cityscape. Herbert guessed that the ambiance together with the good food should be able to lower Mr. Oscar's guard even for a little.

Since he was playing the role of the host, Herbert had arrived earlier than Mr. Oscar. When the time came, Mr. Oscar came not one second late. He was then ushered in by the waiters who politely led him to where Herbert sat.

"Mr. Oscar, it's great to see you again."

"Greetings, young master."

"It's good that you finally have the time to have a nice chat with me."

With a slightly indifferent face, Mr. Oscar only nodded his head. Soon, the waiters once again came to their table to place the food that Herbert had already ordered beforehand. There were various dishes of meat and fish.

Since it was still too early, Herbert did not want to be too hasty. So, the two ate in a very solemn manner. Herbert also noticed that Mr. Oscar was not the type to have conversations while eating so Herbert merely mimicked him. Herbert was a light eater so he did not touch much of the food, while Mr. Oscar wasn't as hungry as Herbert originally thought.

Eventually, Herbert changed his approach when he saw that Mr. Oscar was already finished eating. With an amiable smile, he opened his mouth to try and see the bottom line of the man in front of him.

"Mr. Oscar, is my father treating you well? I can see that you seem to be distressed."

Herbert made sure to make to pause as he knew that proper communication should not be one-sided and needs to have input from both sides before it can be called an actual conversation.

"Lord Herman has been treating me well. Thank you for your concern, young master."

Herbert picked up the nuance of Mr. Oscar's words. Herbert found it odd that he did not address the latter part of his sentence. So, he decided to use that as the entryway to try and bribe Mr. Oscar.

"Compared to the last time we met; you've become considerably thinner. Is there something that has been bothering you?"

"It appears that I indeed cannot hide it from the young master."

The stone-faced Mr. Oscar sighed as he narrated his story.

"The truth is, as you already can know, I am very old. At my age, sooner or later, I'm afraid that I would be replaced. This is why I have been training my protegee so that he could prepare to take over my job in case anything happens."

Herbert nodded his head in understanding. If Herbert had guessed correctly, the way the old man was speaking should be his way of requesting another Awakening Stone from him. He was being too greedy, but considering the level of power that his position gave him, Herbert felt that it might be worth it. Fortunately, he still hasn't given Clive the last Awakening Crystal which gave him the leeway for negotiations.

"I see. Have you recently encountered any problem with your protegee?"

Mr. Oscar nodded his head before he continued explaining.

"Yes, young master. As you may already guess, my protegee is still inexperienced and lacking at the moment. This is why I have come here with a request for you. Young master."

"Oh? Why don't you let me hear it? As long as it is within my capabilities then I assure you that I will grant it. After all, you have already been long in service for the Ravenmoon family and it is only right for me as the heir to do so.

"That would be great if you could do that, young master."

"So, what is it that you have a problem with, Mr. Oscar."

Inwardly, Mr. Oscar felt relieved. Herbert was indeed socially competent. He had managed to naturally guide their conversation to the point where he did not feel awkward in negotiating terms with Herbert. Once Herbert had given him his word, he knew that he would soon owe him a favor, but he knew that if he didn't do this then he would never get the chance like this again.

"Since the young master would be leaving soon, I hope that you can take my son with you to broaden his horizons so he can gain more experience to help serve the Ravenmoon family better."