Episode 86: A Secret Outing (Part 2)
“I will follow Your Highness’s orders!”
Sir James John declared loudly, exuding an air of reliability.
In contrast, Damian looked weary. He was already overwhelmed with the task of educating the prince and had no desire to stir up unnecessary conflict.
“I’m Damian Haxen, the prince’s swordsmanship instructor. I mean no harm, so step aside.”
“That’s a lie! Don’t be fooled! What kind of thug claims to be a swordsmanship instructor?”
Oliver Apple shouted hysterically. Damian turned to the prince and spoke briefly.
“Your Highness, let’s extend the lesson to three hours.”
The prince’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Damian Haxen, you say?”
James John’s eyes lit up at the mention of the name.
“Could it be the Damian Haxen I’ve only heard about in rumors?”
“Probably.”
“Ha! It’s an honor to meet such a renowned figure in person. I’ve been dying to know if the rumors were true!”
Damian could only sigh in response.
“How about we just sit down and have a drink instead?”
Damian suggested, patting James John on the shoulder. James John’s face hardened at the gesture.
“Don’t touch me without permission…”
James John grabbed Damian’s wrist, but something was off.
No matter how hard he tried, Damian’s hand remained firmly on his shoulder.
“Sit down.”
Damian applied pressure, and James John found himself involuntarily sinking back into his chair.
“You… you scoundrel…!”
James John attempted to rise, but Damian’s hand on his shoulder was unyielding.
“Ugh…!”
James John strained with all his might, his eyes bloodshot, yet his body refused to budge.
‘His strength has certainly increased.’
Damian observed James John, who was now in visible pain.
Knights were naturally stronger than ordinary humans, their bodies enhanced by the magic they wielded.
A mid-level knight could take down a beast with sheer physical prowess alone.
Yet here was Damian, overpowering a mid-level knight with brute strength, thanks to Alecto’s royal jelly.
Realizing the gap between them, James John’s face fell.
“Sir James John! Hang in there!”
“Take him down in one blow!”
The nobles in the “Real Men” group cheered, oblivious to James John’s inner turmoil.
It was understandable. James John was a well-regarded figure among the mid-level knights in the capital.
From their perspective, he seemed far stronger than Damian, who had only recently reached mid-level status.
“Damn it!”
James John couldn’t ignore the expectations of his peers. His pride demanded he show them something.
He summoned his magic, power surging through his body.
No matter how strong Damian had become, he couldn’t possibly surpass a mid-level knight wielding magic.
James John sprang to his feet and swung a fist at Damian.
“I’ll crush your face!”
Damian easily dodged the punch and countered with a blow to James John’s abdomen.
“Ugh!”
James John was sent flying into the wall, collapsing forward from the impact.
“Gah, gah.”
Foam bubbled from James John’s mouth, his eyes unfocused as he slipped into unconsciousness.
“If you don’t want to end up like him, I suggest you clear the room.”
Damian gestured to James John. The “Real Men” members scrambled to leave.
“Take him with you.”
At Damian’s command, a few members returned to carry James John out.
With that, only Damian and Oliver Apple remained in the VIP room.
“Now, Your Highness, shall we have a proper conversation?”
With their last line of defense down, Oliver Apple’s face turned pale.
Damian took a seat.
“Please, have a seat, Your Highness.”
At Damian’s invitation, Oliver Apple hesitantly sat a little distance away.
“So, what exactly is this gathering?”
“It’s… it’s a meeting of the ‘Real Men’… a place where the capital’s nobles gather regularly… to bond and share camaraderie…”
“Despite the name, it seems to be a gathering of cowards.”
Oliver Apple bristled at Damian’s remark.
“You can insult me, but leave my friends out of it!”
“Did any of them try to protect you besides James John?”
Oliver Apple fell silent at Damian’s pointed question.
He realized it was true. Despite their vows of loyalty, only James John had stood up to Damian.
“Who organized this meeting?”
“The tavern owner provided the venue… and sets the meeting times… when good drinks and women are available, the owner sends word…”
Having heard enough, Damian clicked his tongue in disappointment.
“Your Highness, I’m quite disappointed. Breaking your promise to me to come here and drink…”
“Sir Damian! Please, spare me! I won’t do it again, I swear…!”
Damian poured drinks into two glasses, placing one in front of Oliver Apple.
Oliver looked at Damian Haxen, puzzled.
“Let’s have a drink.”
Damian downed his glass first. Oliver, after a moment’s hesitation, followed suit.
“Ahh.”
Despite the situation, the drink was good. He regretted it was only one glass.
“Would you like another?”
Oliver, gauging the mood, extended his glass. Damian poured again.
Oliver took a second drink, feeling courage seep into his veins.
“So… you’re not angry?”
“I was planning to be.”
Oliver’s face fell at those words.
“But then I thought about it. You’ve been through a lot these past two days, haven’t you?”
A lot.
Oliver blinked repeatedly at the word.
Yes, he had been through a lot. He had suffered immensely, to the point of exhaustion.
When was the last time someone acknowledged that? Had anyone ever?
Hearing Damian Haxen recognize his efforts stirred something within him.
“You’ve worked hard, so it’s okay to unwind a bit today. Let’s have another drink.”
Oliver extended his glass once more, taking a third drink.
“Your Highness, if you ever want to drink again, just let me know. I can’t always allow it, but sometimes I’ll turn a blind eye.”
“R-really?”
“Yes, but not in places like this. And not with women. Just a decent drink, nothing more.”
The mention of no women made Oliver hesitate again.
Drinks and women.
Both were integral to Oliver Apple’s life.
Yet, there was something missing that neither could fulfill. Wasn’t that why he kept searching, not knowing what he truly wanted?
“I didn’t hear your answer.”
“Ah, yes! I’ll do as you say!”
“You must keep your word.”
Damian offered the bottle again, and Oliver accepted another drink.
“Sir Damian… could you say it again?”
“Say what?”
“You said I worked hard.”
Oliver asked, trying to hide his embarrassment. Damian replied nonchalantly.
“You’ve worked hard. You’ve been diligent with your studies, which aren’t easy.”
Oliver’s lips twitched into a smile.
For the first time, he realized how gratifying it was to be acknowledged by someone else.
After drinking for a while, Oliver Apple passed out, sprawled on the sofa.
“I don’t get why someone who can’t handle their liquor drinks so much.”
Damian finished the remaining drink. It wasn’t particularly enjoyable.
He had only been drinking to keep Oliver Apple company.
“Why did I ever like this stuff so much?”
Damian mused with a wry smile when a voice came from outside.
“May I come in?”
A woman’s voice called. Damian set down his glass and replied.
“Go ahead.”
“Thank you.”
The door opened, and a woman in a striking red dress entered.
“Greetings. I’m Carmen, the owner of this establishment.”
Damian studied the woman who introduced herself as Carmen. She carried herself with a grace that seemed out of place for a tavern owner, yet she lacked the air of a noble.
“You don’t seem like an ordinary tavern owner.”
Carmen smiled as she replied.
“This tavern is just a side business. I have another primary occupation.”
“A primary occupation?”
“I’m in charge of the ‘Green Fragrance.’”
At the mention of the Green Fragrance, Damian looked at her with surprise.
The Green Fragrance was a notorious underground organization, not just in the capital but throughout the Apple Kingdom.
Its network was intricate, and its influence so vast that many nobles were connected to it.
“You’re quite the big shot.”
“Not as much as you, Sir Damian.”
Carmen replied with a smile.
“Why did you set up this gathering? It must have cost a fortune to organize.”
The drinks here were not your everyday finds.
The food served alongside was made from the finest ingredients.
And most strikingly, renting out an entire upscale bar of this size must have been a massive financial hit.
“I wanted to lead a noble gathering centered around the Crown Prince. Managing those connections would be incredibly beneficial.”
“You’re quite straightforward, aren’t you?”
“There’s nothing to hide.”
Carmen replied nonchalantly, and Damien looked at her with amusement.
“After today, it might be best not to call on His Highness.”
“Understood.”
“You seem to agree rather easily.”
From what Carmen said, the Crown Prince was the linchpin of the gathering. Without him, Carmen stood to lose significantly.
Yet, she nodded without a hint of discomfort.
“I may not know much, but I do know a thing or two about survival.”
Damien chuckled at her words.
She was right. If she had refused, Damien had been prepared to turn the place upside down today.
“I hope you keep that promise.”
Damien was about to help the prince when he suddenly remembered something.
“Is there a black market running, by any chance?”
The black market.
A place for trading illicit goods like stolen items or drugs.
Being illegal, not just anyone could run a black market. Only large organizations like Nokhyang could manage it.
“Yes, there is. Is there something you need?”
Damien needed just two things: a rare elixir and a mana cultivation technique.
After consuming Alecto’s royal jelly, he had grown significantly stronger physically, but his magical power remained stagnant. He desperately needed an elixir to replenish his mana.
The mana cultivation technique was equally crucial. To regain his past life’s prowess, Damien needed to develop a technique perfectly suited to him.
He needed to acquire as many high-level techniques as possible.
“I’d like to attend the next black market auction.”
Among the illegal goods, the most valuable ones were sold at auctions within the black market.
Perhaps he could find what he needed there.
However, attending the auction wasn’t easy. Only those with close ties to Nokhyang and deemed trustworthy could participate.
“If you wish, I’ll send you an invitation for the next auction.”
Thanks to his direct connection with Nokhyang’s boss, Damien could easily secure access to the auction.
“That’s kind of you.”
Damien stood up, supporting Oliver Apple.
As they stepped outside, the sun was already rising.