Season 1; Napoleon with Secrets.

"Now that we've gotten to know each other. What do you want to hear about the Duke of de Valois?" Napoleon's face glimmered with excitement and anticipation.

It wasn't anything significant. I sighed. "I want to know whether the Duke has begun going to higher lengths to catch me," I asked as he nodded at each word I said as if understanding my situation.

"I've heard about rumors," he spoke. He showed his visible smirk.

I smiled. "Well, you know better than to believe rumors."

He chuckled. "You're right. That's why we find the truth for others."

"And I hope you already know the truth of my request?" I looked at him blankly.

"You are an interesting fellow, Prince. Nevertheless, I can't help but ask, why did you run?" Napoleon said.

Does he know something that hasn't been made public yet? Does he know my situation? This is getting dangerous. What is he trying to get out of me? I'm sure he wants me to say something, but I don't know what. Do I know something that should be spoken outside?

Is it about my Necromancy ability? I know it is rare, but it isn't forbidden. What of it?

"A significant figure amongst the Squires, mightiest genius. Made a massive contribution during the recent war. He was known as a prodigy. He has unlocked his essence and has mastered many Sword Arts. Prince Civil Alarie de Valois, heir of the Dukedom de Valois. How can someone so prestigious and honored become someone neglected by a Paladin of Selection? A Mage is your destiny. But you're no ordinary mage, are you?" He stared at me blankly, but then he sighed and made a gesture of thinking while taking glances at me.

It seems Isaiah did an excellent job of shutting up everyone in the mansion. No one knows that I am a hybrid of a black and red mage, Necromancer.

But what should I say?

Callisto then smiled at me and spoke, "Well, it doesn't matter." he shrugged. "We give to get paid." he paused.

"But this isn't just any ordinary request, Prince of de Valois. You're requesting a nobody like me to provide you information about someone significant. The price to pay might be much more than you think you have. So why don't we strike a deal, Prince of de Valois?"

This seems suspicious. And the conversation going out of hand, specifically, in Callisto's favor. But... what does he mean about striking a deal with him?

"Speak."

"You see, you might be the most esteemed customer we ever had. So I won't let you pay for your first request. But!" Callisto smirked.

My face could not help but turn serious. "But what?" I asked.

"But if you can grant one wish later in our lives, I might let it slide."

H-huh? "A wish? What do you mean?" I looked at him, puzzled.

His expression is unreadable. I don't know what he's thinking. Wish? What does he mean?

"What I am asking is only a trivial thing. Why can't I just pay money?" I argued.

Callisto sighed and leaned back on the couch. "You really don't know?" he sighed even deeper.

"And here I thought you were intelligent." He leaned forward and looked straight at my eyes, keen. "You're asking a nobody to disclose information of a Duke with so much influence all throughout the country. You must think I have a death wish?" he smiled cynically.

"I'm sorry, I didn't think it through." I apologized.

He smirked and stood from his couch. "Times are rough now, Prince. The hierarchy between nobilities and nobodies has become absolute. And the tension between the lower socialites and the higher socialites is growing. And everyone knows it's not stopping soon. Everybody's making an enemy of anybody."

"A slight mistake and my head will fly. Not to mention, going against the Sword of the Empire? I have to be out of my mind to do something as reckless as handing out information to a runaway heir." he looked at the papers on his desk, scanning through several of them.

I don't know what to do. But Callisto's right. Information Guilds are secret organizations. I only knew they existed after my fifteenth birthday when my master taught me about them. And I never knew that there would be Guild Information in Stark. It was merely a guess, but a guess that turned out to be true.

What Callisto will be disclosing to me, "a runaway heir," is something that he can't just easily hand out even with so much money.

But I can't just give away a helping hand to someone who I haven't learned about. Even if I know that the Callistos are distant relatives of mine.

I looked at him after concluding my thoughts. "Then forget about my request and answer another."

Callisto sighed, disappointed that he could not get me to give him a favor. Then his face shifted back up to face me, "Let's see if it is as dangerous as the previous one."

I looked at him, stern. "The information I want is something that resolves around me, as a de Valois," I assured. "I want to know who is part of the de Valois's bloodline."

He looked shocked. Then he laughed. "I see! Indeed, as a de Valois, you have the right to know that without punishment," he spoke in between his laughs. "Haaa..." his laughter ended.

Before I knew it, he let out a significant amount of essence that covered his whole body into a visible aura and gazed intensely at me with such scorn. "But what makes you think I'll give you that information?"

Although he displayed a tremendous amount of power and scorn, I did not waver. Instead, I smiled. "Intimidation instead of bloodthirst won't scare me off, Callisto. You aren't the only one who's able to use his essence." I snickered. Just then, I released the same amount of essence as he did and fought off his.

Then three hooded figured appeared right before me and surrounded my neck with swords. Of course, this much did not make me move. I looked at Napoleon blankly.

He then put down his essence and sighed, holding his head as if he had to face someone troublesome. "At ease." he shooed away the hooded figures, and they sheathed their swords.

"You must already know something," he looked at me from his desk. "You must know that the Callisto is part of the de Valois."

I smiled. I did not know it until the system informed me.

"Even the current Duke of de Valois does not." he massaged his temples. "How?" he looked at me sternly.

I tilted my head innocently. "How what?"

"Don't play dumb with me, Prince of de Valois. How were you able to get such information," he asked, with both of his hands intertwined, hiding his face behind.

I leaned background and purposely showed arrogance. "Let's just say that your Information Guild isn't the first one I've ever visited," I responded with a grin.

"Haa..." he sighed. "I can tell you the movements of your father, Isaiah," he spoke.

I looked at him blankly.

He stared back at me and then sighed again. "Without any payments. But under one condition."

I smirked. "A condition, not a wish. That might be negotiable."

"I don't want you to disclose this information that the Callistos are linked with the de Valois family." he looked at me with such a stolid gaze.

I smiled. "Of course. It would cause a scandal that a merchant family of counts and countesses are actually royals!" I displayed a smug face at my victory.

He sighed once again. "Isaiah has begun to hire skilled mercenaries in search for the runaway Prince. The intel gathered tells us that he's immensely devoted to doing so, too. Isaiah planned before the Fate of Selection began and already placed some of his knights in many cities that you might run away into.

"In addition, he has contacted many of his adventurer colleagues. He has also met with many of the high-ranking mages from Citburgh and hired five to become your teachers. The Continent of Kravenia, moreover, has most of Isaiah's spies. My informants disclosed that he is determined to stop you from going to the plane of Earthlings. He has also placed several spies in different countries for insurance."

"That's all I know regarding you. Is that enough?" Callisto glared at me.

I am shocked. I didn't think this far ahead. I know Isaiah isn't someone who backs down. He is the kind of father that is gonna do what he can do to fulfill what he needs to do. To think he'd completely block the continent of Kravenia. It's about three continents away! There's no way I could get there in a blink of an eye. How much did he plan through?

I hate to admit how thorough and cautious he is. He's treating me as if I was a toddler. But now that I know this, I can make use of it.

But something is amiss. Napoleon has been saying danger and hinting at other problems, too. It's as if he wants me to ask what else is happening.

"You said that this is the only information you know about the Duke regarding me, correct?" I asked.

Napoleon, who's been looking down from his desk, flinched. "W-what do ever do you mean?"

"There's something wrong with le Divine and Earth, isn't there?" I sternly looked at him.

Napoleon sighed. "It's no news. There is always something wrong between the two planes," he answered.

"I'm sure there's always a problem between the two planes. But what makes me wonder is how is the Duke of de Valois related to it?"

His eyes widen. "You're quite sharp, Prince of de Valois."

"Stop emphasizing my title."

"I won't tell you much about what's happening. But there is, indeed, something crucial happening in le Divine and Earth. Bigger than you might think." he spoke. "Oh, damn! Look at the time! Don't you have somewhere you have to run off to? You should definitely leave now, Prince. Since you don't want to be caught by your maniac father, right?" he pushed me out quite smoothly out of the room. And when I was behind his door, he slammed it.

"That damn brat! Do you know how many times I've sighed in a day?" he furiously yelled from his room.

What the hell?