“Who are you?”
Alec, having suppressed his laughter, asked Kousuke.
“If you ask who I am… I’m the manager of this tower?”
To Kousuke’s answer, Alec shook his head.
“That’s not what I mean. At least, I can’t imagine someone from the common folk thinking such things?”
In the world of Asgard, educational institutions like schools do not exist.
Nobles and royalty might hire tutors to teach them academics, but ordinary people have almost no opportunity to receive an education.
If there is one, perhaps it is when they become an apprentice upon taking up a job.
Otherwise, they learn how to make a living through practical experience.
However, what Kousuke said earlier were words that, in any way you think about it, would not come out without some level of education.
Furthermore, if he were a member of the nobility or royalty, it’s impossible that there wouldn’t be rumors.
If nobles or royalty were to conquer the tower, it would bring immense profit to their clan.
It’s natural to think of making it public at the time of conquering it.
However, such a story has not reached the ears of Alec, who is royalty.
Even if it were someone from another continent.
Alec observed Kousuke intently, waiting for an answer.
Kousuke, while aware of Alec’s gaze, answered easily.
“I’m not anyone special. I just simply received an education from a young age.”
“……What?”
Alec was dumbfounded by the unexpected answer.
And before he could even voice his question, he was asked something even more unexpected.
“Huh? You haven’t received an oracle regarding that?”
Alec’s mouth hung open in astonishment.
With unprecedented surprise, he could only groan.
“……How did you know?”
To Alec, who was asking in a groaning voice, Kousuke tilted his head.
“About the oracle?”
Alec’s gaze demanded to know what else there could be.
“I didn’t know you had received an oracle. I just heard that a god was working behind the scenes.”
“…What!? Who told you!?”
Alec had taken various routes to come to this tower.
Of course, it was to conceal his status as a prince.
It was the same for the people of his homeland.
Only a handful of people knew that Alec had received an oracle and was here.
If information leaked from those people, it would be a major problem… no, it would be far worse than that.
“Ah, no. You’re probably misunderstanding. I didn’t hear it from someone in your country.”
“…Then why did you know?”
“In this world, there isn’t just one god, is there?”
To Kousuke’s words, Alec immediately understood what he meant.
And for that reason, he couldn’t help but put his hands on his head.
He was made to understand that this was what being an existence outside common sense was like.
“So, you mean you also received an oracle…?”
“If that can be called an oracle, then yes.”
Alec frowned at Kousuke’s subtle phrasing.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, when I asked if there was a god behind you, he answered me plainly.”
At the casually stated fact, Alec finally burst out laughing.
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In the first place, oracles are not something to be taken lightly.
Even for high-ranking clergy, the same applies.
However, history records several individuals who were able to receive oracles frequently.
It was believed that those individuals were granted the blessings of their respective gods.
And because of that, those recognized by the gods as having received their blessings were commonly exploited by those in power.
Sometimes it led to national disputes, or it was used to legitimize the authority of the temples.
For that reason, in recent years, even if it’s discovered that someone has received a blessing, the mainstream approach is to hide it as much as possible.
Unfortunately, if one is born among the common folk, they are almost always discovered in the process. In such cases, they are either entrusted to the temple or their treatment is decided between nations.
However, when it comes to individuals with status, such as nobles or royalty, things are slightly different.
They are hidden to avoid appearing on the public stage as much as possible.
Of course, it’s different if the person themselves desires it, but fundamentally, those who receive blessings do not appear in the public eye.
This is done on a national level.
The reason is simple: for the nationalistic reason of wanting to keep them within one’s own country as much as possible.
As another reason, if the person with the blessing is a noble or royal, it’s not possible to handle them as one would a commoner, through multiple nations or temples.
This is because it could disrupt the power balance of that country or its neighboring countries.
It might be manageable if it were a noble on the verge of ruin, but for a noble with a certain level of power, it would definitely have an impact.
Rather, it was because of a past incident of this nature that it was decided to hide any blessings received by nobles or royalty.
“…Does that mean your young lady is the one with the blessing?”
“That’s right.”
Perhaps trusting Kousuke as someone who had received an oracle before, Alec began to speak about his own situation readily.
“…From what I heard earlier, isn’t it problematic if the surrounding countries find out that a member of the royal family has a blessing?”
To Kousuke’s question, Alec nodded vigorously.
“Ah, it’s more than just problematic. Currently, with the surrounding countries already aware, just the letters of proposal could fill a room.”
This was, after all, the mansion of a prince with succession rights.
The size of the room can be inferred from that.
“If it were only that, but recently things have become a bit precarious. If you poke it carelessly, it feels like even the military might get involved.”
To Alec’s words, Kousuke let out a sigh.
“Does it really escalate to that point?”
“Yeah. Well, I can understand the sentiment. If a royal in another country were born with the ability to receive oracles, our country might also resort to such measures.”
It would be one thing to attack another country in the name of an oracle.
But what if the gods actually intervened in that war? That’s what any nation would consider.
And based on those thoughts, conflicts that were indeed sparked by such events have occurred in the past.
“Fortunately, our country has the national strength to be considered a major power, so it’s unlikely to immediately resort to war.”
However, if the current situation continues, it will only be a matter of time, Alec continued.
Hearing all that, Kousuke finally understood why Alec had gone to such lengths to conceal his identity and come for the sub-governor’s interview.
“…In other words, you want me to hide that princess in this tower?”
“I appreciate your getting to the point quickly.”
As Kousuke said earlier, militarily attacking the tower is nearly impossible.
Therefore, it would serve as an excellent hiding place (or perhaps not). Even if every country knew that the princess was in the tower.
Alec answered with a smile, as if understanding Kousuke’s realization.
“…I understand the situation, but from my perspective, I still find it hard to accept you as the Third Prince?”
“I know. I never thought that something like a Status would appear. I came here intending to abandon my status as a prince from the very beginning.”
“…Eh!?”
Seeing Kousuke’s surprise, Alec replied with a laugh.
“What, weren’t you the one who set those conditions in the first place?”
“Well, that’s true, but…”
He had never imagined that he would have to abandon his status as a prince to take a job as a sub-governor, something he was finally about to achieve.
“For me, my daughter is more important than being a prince. Fortunately, the current Florece Kingdom doesn’t lack candidates for succession. My absence won’t cause major issues.”
Alec hinted at readily relinquishing his succession rights.
And, unfortunately, Kousuke didn’t see it as a joke.
