Chimère Chapter 2: Cannot be King

Read chapter 2 of Chimère by theBlynded on NovelPedia.

Barto Borel was anxious. Actually scratch that, the young epibiologist was feeling horrendous. If someone had told him he would be the one appointed to hand in their labarotories’ report, he would have refused. Sadly enough, he got the short end of the straw and wasn’t there when his colleagues made the decision. He would remember this and give them a piece of his mind later. But for now, he was waiting in the antechamber leading to their client. An unexpected and improbable client, he could say. Epibiology was considered a very… noble profession within Rentiers, so noble that only nobles could actually become one. Until the royal edict of Veramire I sundered those constraints quite thoroughly, and for all the good reasons. Of course, the nobles of the kingdom went into an upheaval, leading most of them to try and assassinate the king. Keyword here being “try”, since they failed miserably and their titles were removed. But besides that, the social barriers blocking professions related to Epics completely vanished. Non-nobles could step on the path of an Epic, become an Epic Engineer, or an Epic Scientist. Barto was no different. Still the perception of nobles toward non-nobles in those professions was abysmal. Discrimination and isolation was the standard procedure to impede them. So Barto’s anxiousness was well founded to some extent. A man in butler attire popped out of the double doors leading to the Prince Lucian’s office room. “His highness is ready to see you know.” Taking a deep breath, Barto nodded and passed through the open door. His Highness Lucian’s work office was… unadorned, at least compared to what his fellow colleagues saw with other nobles. Still, the furniture was still quite elegant, complemented by a few pots sparsely placed upon the shorter armoires, shelves and tables. The wall trims were golden and gleaming faintly with the gentle light of the sun infusing the room. A single chandelier that Barto could qualify as scrawny hanged from the center. And under it, his client. Looking at him. Prince Lucian. With his blond hair attached into a ponytail and his greenish-gray eyes. The prince was taller than he was, and Barto was exactly of the average height of most people in the country. He was wearing a cotton doublet, closed through the front with some buttons… Barto mentally cursed himself for staring at the Prince, and curtsied. “I greet his highness.” “Please, no need for formalities. Come and sit. We have, much to discuss about.” The prince responded with ease. As the epibiologist sat. The Prince stood up and headed for the window bay, gazing at the suburbs of Luminar in the background. “You probably know why you are here. I simply want to make sure that you understand what I want to hear.” The prince pointed out. He turned around and gazed at Barto. A stare that could send him to the royal prison if it so desired. “The results of your research are all I want to hear from you. No, flattery or praises. It is a waste of time for me, and for you.” He first stated. Barto somewhat relaxed at those conditions. Maybe the royal family did inherit some things from the Great Viramire. “And when I say all the results, I do mean all of them. Progress and Setbacks.” Okay, no. The aspiring scientist was now sure, the royal family still had it in them! Oh how he was going to “love” talking to his colleagues once this finished. Barto’s lips pursed into a smile ever so slightly. He calmed himself and just like that he started his report. “Your highness, you have asked of us to conduct studies on Chimer. We have managed to find multiple applications and uses for it. However there is a reoccurring problem for each new use: the neurochemicals in Chimer are… complicated to neutralize. In fact, the cost of doing so is astronomical.” “How much?” Lucian asked. “For just a kilo of Chimer, it would cost half a million Neuts just to purify it. Surely you know, just that amount of Neuts could let anyone go from the Epic level to the