Once Spencer was enlightened that the crown prince was revealing his true self, he became agitated.
His eyes drifted to the geographical tome Leonard was reading, and the content left him stunned.
'Velastra?' Confused, Spencer wanted to inquire why the crown prince held an interest in it. But he suppressed his urge and remained still.
A servant must never overstep! No matter how strong they were, masters were not to be questioned.
However, much to Spencer's relief, Leonard didn't have any intention of hiding his findings either.
"Uncle Marco came and told me about something interesting." He said and relayed the majority of the conversation to Spencer for further analysis.
A few minutes later, Spencer's expression frowned slightly.
"Count Marco's words shouldn't be false, but the Crown Prince is wise to remain wary." Spencer gave his input.
"Count Marco appears gentle and mild on the surface. But such a personality would never allow one to survive in the royal court. The fief he owned near Veridale was ruled with an iron fist."
When Leonard heard the city's name, Veridale, his memories quickly surfaced.
Veridale, otherwise known as the Heartland Haven, was located in the fertile Imperial Heartland. Its land was rich and allowed for a great boost in agriculture and alchemy herbs. There were many tranquil estates—the center of rural nobility and minor duchies.
Just the reputation alone sounded like a great place to reside in, but Leonard held some doubts.
Unless Leonard personally arrived there for the inspection, he refused to believe the information recorded in the text.
After all, those recorded in the text were often done by powerful and influential people. Even if it was completely twisting of the actual event, no one would dare to object to the words of the victor.
"Spence, I'm going to have to leave the capital soon. Father subtly implies to me to investigate the culprit, so I must make the journey to Velastra." Leonard closed the book and returned it to the shelf.
"While I make my journey to Velastra, I hope Spence could monitor the capital's matter during my absence. Also, you must discreetly investigate my 4th uncle and everyone else in the House Lawson."
Although very subtle, Spencer realized the crown prince was warning him that his actions had long been discovered.
The mere fact that he was ordered to investigate the House Lawson was quickly known by Marco was an alarming event.
To summarize, there must have been moles in the palace or spies stationed outside the palace that were able to monitor Leonard's Palace constantly.
Of course, one couldn't blame Spencer for not being able to guard well against them.
In the past, Leonard was always underestimated and known as a cowardly and incompetent prince. Since that was the case, then why would anyone bother to mobilize any of their manpower to investigate his every action and movement?
However, times have changed.
The well-known incompetent and cowardly prince was now the Crown Prince of Aldros. Such a title was not to be trifled with.
Spencer's face was rather ugly and complicated. He had tried his best to safeguard the crown prince, but in the end, he failed miserably.
"Please forgive this old servant for his incompetence, Crown Prince." Spencer went on his knees and pleaded.
"Is being incompetent a crime?" In response, Leonard coldly sneered. "Did you ever once blame me or insult me behind my back when I'm known as the incompetent prince?"
"This old servant would never dare to hold such thoughts."
"Then why are you apologizing?" Leonard's tone was raised as he glared at Spencer. "What I need is someone who can learn and adapt to the situation to assist me. I don't need people who only utter words of apologies."
"Yes, Crown Prince." Spencer rose from the ground and flashed a determined look. "I'll make sure to increase the security and strictness in the palace."
Satisfied, Leonard proceeded to explain the upcoming plans.
It was a pity, but Leonard must remain magic circle-less.
The chronological order was to first capture the middleman who fled to Velastra. Only after the successful capture could Leonard return to the royal court and present the middleman to the emperor.
From there, the reward that the emperor would grant him should be a solution to his incapability of forming a magic circle early on.
"I can feel the surrounding mana, but there's always a blockade whenever I try to absorb or control it. I reckon father must have done something to me when I was born." Leonard commented.
As if to prove his point, Leonard extended his hand and attempted to circulate the surrounding mana.
Initially, the mana was smoothly being gathered, but just before it could condense properly, Leonard's face twisted in pain. The process of the condensation was akin to trying to mix water and oil together.
Watching Leonard wince in pain, Spencer clenched his fists in silent frustration.
Without a doubt, Spencer had long known about the predicament that Leonard faced but was unable to resolve it.
The so-called recruiting magic tutor was simply Spencer's last glimmer of hope in finding someone talented enough to resolve the issues.
Additionally, to recruit a prominent magic tutor for a prince, one needed explicit permission from the emperor. Otherwise, it would be labeled as treason.
A prince secretly trying to learn magic could be condemned by evil doers as harboring rebellious thoughts against the emperor.
Sometime later, Leonard halted his action and glanced at Spencer.
"Prepare for a carriage and ship to travel to Velastra. But don't keep a low profile. Instead, make sure that the news of my intention is spread all across the capital." He declared.
"But Crown Prince, isn't that dangerous?" Startled, Spencer swiftly tried to dissuade Leonard that such an action was very risky.
However, Leonard smirked coldly in response. "Low profile or high profile… do you think my every movement could be concealed in front of this pack of wolves? Since they think I'm an easy prey, then why not let them try and bite whether the bait is tough meat or not."