Re: Tales of the Rune-Tech Sage

Chapter 939: Interview I

CH0939 Interview I

***

Alex left the private meeting room with a lot on his mind. However, he soon pushed those thoughts aside and sent a message to Eleanore.

Soon enough, a reply came from her, and he headed up the stairs to the tower’s penultimate floor.

Eleanore had rented a hall on the floor, along with the three adjoining rooms, to host a recruitment exercise.

Thanks to Grand Mage Taman Lancaster, quite a number of prospects had shown up for possible recruitment, far exceeding Eleanore’s conservative estimates and almost filling the hall.

Eleanore didn’t realise just how generous the benefits she was offering were.

By the time Alex arrived at the hall, he realised from the gossip around him that the initial group had been thinned out quite a bit. By his cursory glance, there were still about three hundred prospects left, most of whom hovered between Tier II Journeymen and Tier III Experts.

Considering Alex’s current sights, these were on the lower side of quality. However, they were what the domain needed.

These prospects were unlikely to lead any groundbreaking projects like himself, Eleanore or Sugud, at least anytime soon. However, they were just the level the domain needed for the grunt work that lead Artisans like them shouldn’t waste their time on.

Alex ignored the crowd and walked directly towards one of the adjoining rooms, which was being used as an interview room.

He no doubt attracted attention—some of it unsavoury—for this action. And from the changes in expressions around him, Alex thought for a moment that someone would jump out to put him in his place.

‘Cliché young master moment troupe.’ He chuckled to himself.

Alas, that didn’t happen.

The prospects kept themselves in check and simply watched him. It was only when he reached the door and was stopped by security that anyone looked with obvious interest.

‘Would it be the guards?’ Alex wondered.

Since none of the prospects had jumped out to become his stepping stone for an aura-farming moment, Alex looked to the guards instead with interest.

The guards at the door suddenly felt a chill run down their spines.

One of the guards who had intended to rudely stop Alex suddenly found the words stuck in his throat.

The two guards took a good look at Alex.

‘Silver-grey hair, ruby-red eyes, a gaze that is both amused and terrifying at the same time… It’s him!’ the guards thought.

Alex was unaware of the guards’ thoughts. However, when he saw them become more animated, his smile unknowingly widened as he prepared to carry out the cliché young master act.

Alas…

“Are you Young Master Alex?” one of the guards—the calmer one—asked.

“Huh?” Alex was momentarily stumped. “Yes, I am.” He nodded.

“Oh, you are finally here, Chief Interviewer. You can go in. Lady Eleanore has granted you access to the interview room,” the guard said.

Alex raised an eyebrow for a moment. The guard had spoken louder than necessary—suspiciously louder.

But then, he sensed the change in the crowd and immediately understood.

The guard was informing—or warning—the prospects of his identity, lest someone get a stupid idea and make a scene.

‘But that’s what I want. I haven’t gotten the chance to throw my weight around like a cliché young master.’ Alex grumbled inwardly.

Alex glanced at the guard, displeased for a moment. But then, he noticed the beads of sweat forming at the guard’s temple.

‘I don’t think I look that scary, do I? Or did someone speak badly of me?’ Alex wondered.

“You don’t have to be so tense.” Alex patted the guard’s shoulder.

However, that only made things worse.

“Yes, Young Master Alex.” The guard responded as he launched into a perfectly angled ninety-degree bow.

Alex’s lips twitched.

He almost ran through the door in embarrassment.

Behind the door, the two guards wiped the beads of sweat from their foreheads, looking as if they had just escaped a great disaster.

‘I wonder who slandered me so much that the guards are this terrified of me.’ Alex walked down the corridor towards the room ahead.

Behind the door, Alex saw Eleanore, Grand Mage Taman and a couple of other individuals he didn’t know. Surprisingly, the last member on the panel was Haggleworth.

He arrived just as an interviewee was excusing herself.

The interviewee quietly greeted him as she exited the interview room.

“Alex,” Eleanore called out with a bright, sunny smile.

Alex walked forward to greet the panel.

Eleanore and Grand Mage Taman introduced the two other panel members to him, but Alex selectively chose not to remember their names and simply stored them as Grand Mage Taman’s Subordinates 1 & 2.

Then again, Orion had already checked and stored their identities in his memory, so if they ever became important again, his secondary mind would remind him.

“Thanks for helping out my wife, Sir Lancaster,” Alex said courteously.

“Your wife calls me Teacher. It is the least I can do,” Grand Mage Taman replied.

Alex turned to Haggleworth.

“Sir Haggleworth, I didn’t expect to meet you here,” he said.

“Long time no see, Young Master Alex. News of your return gladdens me. I hope to see you soon. Our conversations have always been… enlightening,” Haggleworth replied.

“I asked Sir Haggleworth to come. He is helping us with the financing for the recruitment exercise. I thought he would be pleased to see that his money is being spent as promised,” Eleanore ‘explained’.

“With you and Young Master Alex, I have no doubt. Not only will the money be spent judiciously, I will also make a neat profit in the future. I have never lost from investing in Young Master Alex,” Haggleworth expressed.

The back-and-forth between the couple and Haggleworth gave Grand Mage Taman’s subordinates a new outlook on Alex.

To have someone of Haggleworth’s current stature speak so highly of him meant there was more to the man than simply being Earl Drake Fury’s son and Imperial Princess Eleanore’s husband.

Then again, in retrospect, it should have been obvious that a person with both identities would be far from ordinary.

Eleanore suddenly stared closely at Alex, then, as if noticing something, turned to Grand Mage Taman.

“Teacher, can you please continue the interview without us? I wish to discuss something with Sir Haggleworth and my husband.”

“Very well, Your Highness. Since you are trusting this old man with something so important, I will not disappoint,” Grand Mage Taman said.

Alex, Eleanore and Haggleworth excused themselves to a side room.

“Why have you brought us into this room, my lady? Is something wrong?” Alex asked once the door closed.

“I should be asking you that. I brought us here since I saw in your eyes that you had something to say to Sir Haggleworth,” Eleanore replied.

Haggleworth raised an eyebrow.

Alex smiled wryly. “I am really that open to you three.”

“Not exactly to me. I just know the look of excellence in your eyes when you come up with one of your brilliant ideas,” Eleanore said.

‘It is so… sexy, after all.’

“I merely spotted the look and knew you had something in mind,” she added.

Alex laughed wryly.

Then he turned to Haggleworth.

“My lady is right. I have just had an interesting discussion with Master Space Mage Sahira Nefaru. And an idea came to me afterwards,” Alex said.

***