Even dirty things can be used. The information guild is like that to Wilhelm.

“A partnership?”

Silas’s eyes are wide open and he eventually bowed his head.

“Forgive my rudeness, Your Highness. But one of our information guild rules is not to sell detrimental information that could cause harm to someone.”

‘What he meant is they couldn’t sell highly sensitive information about other nobles, even if it's to me. As that is the rule of the guild, and reason for their prosperity despite the questionable reputation.’

Wilhelm clenched his fists.

‘Not cause someone harm, bullshit. Even now sensitive information about commoners is being sold in real time without their consent. These trashes.”

Wilhelm sighed and took a deep breath. He is going to use the Information Guild, so he himself is not all that innocent, though he would argue that he didn’t plan on harming anybody.

“Don't worry, I am not so ignorant about the rules of the Information Guild. What I want is simply a partnership deal to regularly buy information similar to what you sell. Since I will be going to you often.”

All he needed right now was just the regular type of information that the information guild sells and since he would be going to them often, he wanted a partnership.

‘Of course, they will be destroyed in the future, but hopefully, I would’ve found an alternative by then.’

“Is that really all, Your Highness?”

“Do you not trust my word?” Wilhelm frowned. Silas flinched and bowed his head.

“I apologize, if that is all then it would be an honor to work with you.”

“Then here.”

Wilhelm tossed a communication orb, it was quite expensive but not that much for Wilhelm.

“This is?”

Silas knew about it already but asked anyway.

“I don’t want to bother going to the information guild all the time when I need information so I will contact you with this. I will also have my servants go and pay for the information I asked. Is that fine with you?”

“I shall do as you wish, Your Highness.”

Wilhelm then grabbed a coin pouch and threw it at the table, it was full of gold coins. Just that pouch alone will be able to feed a commoner for 6 months. Silas’s eyes widened, and Wilhelm smiled at that.

“Advance payment. I have a job for you to do.”

“If it's a job, then you want to commission us for information?”

Another feature of an information guild is to commission for information instead of buying the existing information. Granted it's a lot more expensive than regular but that is no problem for Wilhelm.

“Yes, I want you to search for a person. His name is Gaius, he is a beastman, he should be working as a mercenary right now, and-”

Wilhelm gave all sorts of information to Silas and Silas asked.

“This might be presumptuous but may I ask what you are using the information for?”

“Why do you care?”

“As you know, we from the information guild do our best to not cross the line, and it's the reason for our prosperity until now. Though I believe that Your Highness won't use the information for something like ‘that’ I still have to know.”

‘Oh? Now that is surprising.’

Wilhelm knows of their creed, and motto of not crossing the line but just about everyone knows that it only applies to influential people.

“If I am indeed going to do ‘that’ what are you going to do?”

The ‘that’ meant slave trading, and many more. Sometimes the underground slave traders works with the information guild people in a sort of symbiotic and disgusting relationship. Despite the Empire banning them, such things are still rampant underground, and sadly, they are competent so it's not easy to catch them. The Empire also has many more problems more important than that as well so they can't pay that much attention to them.

“Then I can’t sell you the information.”

‘How bold. If it was not me but rather the other princes that remark would’ve gotten his tongue cut.’ Wilhelm smiled.

“Why so? Don't your colleagues do the same thing?”

“It’s saddening that I can’t even deny that.” Silas smiled bitterly “However, in the past, I have honored myself on my creed and duty as a knight. No matter how much I have fallen, I shall not do such a thing.” His eyes, were full of conviction as he said that.

‘A former knight, that’s why he is strong enough to see through the disguise spell.’

“But don’t you overlook those colleagues of yours?”

“...I know my place and the fact that I can’t do anything about it. But at the very least I do not want to do the same thing as them.”

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

‘Hmm.’

Wilhelm's fingers drummed the table, each tap was loud due to the sheer silence inside the room. It was a normal gesture but in actuality, it decided the fate of the future of the Information Guild.

‘I have considered destroying them, in the future they even work with the Thalion Cultists so their end is almost a guarantee. However, perhaps I could use someone like Silas to take over the guild and use it as my hand and feet.

Wilhelm’s eyes then narrowed onto Silas.

‘Though I still don’t know whether he is just showing off because he somehow knew of my personality, or it's truly his creed. Either way, only time would tell.’

Wilhelm leaned back and crossed his arms.

“I am a prince of the Heinberg Empire. I swear that I shall not do such a disgusting thing.”

“I trust you, Your Highness. I shall gratefully accept the commission.”

***

When Wilhelm thought about what is the most important thing for him to have to survive he decided on Strength. He needed to become strong himself and gain other strong allies.

However, he can get those allies later on when he enrolls in the academy, right now his priority should be to make people who originally can’t be his ally in normal circumstances. Such as perhaps making a soon-to-be villain into becoming his ally before they go through the shit that made them a villain.

Sadly, there are not many of those kinds of people in the game. Because most of them are already douchebags before they became villains, or they are just untrustworthy, or they are just weak and not worth the time-except for one, Gaius.

‘At this point in time Gaius should be a rising mercenary group so it shouldn’t be that hard to find him.’

“But this is way faster than I expected though.”

It was just yesterday that Wilhelm commissioned the guild leader and yet he already found the location of Gaius.

‘I expected it to take him 3 days but, I guess he is more competent than I expected.’

Wilhelm decided to delay his original plan of going to a dungeon and take care of Gaius first.

Wilhelm closed the communication orb and grabbed a certain luxurious paper and a special ink. It's a paper used to convey the will of the Royal Family, basically a Royal Order.

Although Hendrick seemed curious about the paper, he didn't disturb Wilhelm when writing. Soon, the paper was finished and Wilhelm rolled it up.

“Hendrick, here.”

“What should I do with this paper, Your Highness?”

“Deliver it to the location I told you about, and to the man named Gaius.”

“As you wish, Your Highness. But may I ask what you intend to convey to him?”

“I wish to make him my knight.”

“A knight? An Imperial Knight!?”

Hendrick eyes widened and he looked at Wilhelm but Wilhelm just smiled.

“Please convey it well okay?”

“Ah, right. As you wish.”

***

“Is that what His Highness said?”

Even Abraham can’t hide his surprise.

“Yes, I was surprised as well. To think that he decided to make someone a knight all of a sudden.”

Abraham crossed his arms and frowned.

A Knight.

Though many hold that title that doesn't mean that its weight shouldn’t be respected or underestimated.

A Knight meant a sword and shield that protects their liege even at the cost of their own lives. It's not a title that can nor should be given to someone unworthy.

‘Gaius, never heard of him.’

Abraham was well-versed in the current rising stars of his liege’s generation. Excluding Wilhelm himself, there was the young lady of the Friedrich Duchy a genius who held immense talent rivaling that of an Archmage, the despised yet undoubtedly talented Youngest Daughter of the Augustine Family, and the one that trumps them all as the Supposed Hero of this Generation, the only daughter of the Felles Archduchy.

Abraham didn't just keep track of nobles only, there was the heir to the Piero Merchant group, he also knew that there was a young mercenary boy who had been making a name for himself as well.

‘But if I remember that boy’s name is not Gaius. He is also a Human and not a beastman.’

Abraham thought of all the names he knew but shook his head, he didn't recognize them at all. He couldn’t hide his curiosity for the one that was acknowledged by his liege.

“Hendrick, may I ask for a favor?”

“Sure, what is it?”

“Can you put me on the list of people that will deliver the Royal Order?”

Hendrick tilted his head but soon widened his eyes and nodded as if he understood.

“That would not be a problem, but what about His Highness?”

“I shall ask for permission first.”

‘Gaius, someone whom His Highness wanted to recruit. Let’s see what kind of guy he is.

***

Gaius.

The leader of the Blue Wolf Mercenary Group.

Though his group was not extremely popular, it had a great reputation for being reliable, though being a group of beastman drew some reservations from some clients it didn't matter much since Gaius's mercenary group was thriving and growing.

However, all of a sudden, there was a big problem for the mercenary group. To be exact a big problem for its leader.

“Gaius, you are to go to the Emerald Royal Palace immediately with your sister! For the Future Sun Of The Empire, Crown Prince Wilhelm Von Heinberg has offered you the chance to become a knight! This is an honor that-”

‘What the hell?’

Gaius can’t even comprehend how it happened like this. He had he not done anything to deserve the attention of the Imperial Family so this was truly out of nowhere.

The proxy left, leaving behind the stunned mercenaries as well as the scent of ale in the tavern. Gaius stopped kneeling and looked at the members of his mercenary group. One of them wrapped his arms around Gaius and spoke.

“Hey bro, what the hell did you do to be called upon by the royal family?”

“I don’t know. I really don’t know.”

Gaius grabbed his head and started to think.

What’s even more unbelievable for Gaius is that he is being called upon by the prince to become a knight. Although his head blanked out a bit after being called by the proxy, he had heard something like becoming a knight of the Crown Prince.

“Does this mean our boss will be moving up the ladder?”

“But, is it okay for a prince to have a beastman as a knight?”

“There are no rules like that so I guess it's fine?”

As the other members kept speaking, Gaius alone was worrying about something else.

‘Why did the prince call my sister as well?’

Gaius’s head started hurting. It was impossible to refuse so he had no choice but to go through with it. Gaius pinched the bridge of his nose.

‘I just hope that there won’t be trouble for us.’

Especially for his sister, she has enough trouble in her life already.