"..."

"..."

"..."

Lionel was silent as the ride back home rolled forward. Everything was still fresh in his mind. He couldn’t even believe they were all real.

He looked at his lap and his eyes became fixated on the box he was holding. His fingers lightly traced the edges. Even the box of the medal had intricate patterns.

"What just happened..." he murmured under his breath.

He still couldn’t believe everything that had happened to him. An early knight offer, a public recognition from the emperor himself, and even been announced as the winner of the retreat?

All of that happened in a single day.

Damn..... This is nuts, Lionel let out a sigh as he leaned back slightly.

After that scene in the throne room, they were immediately dismissed. Though before that, the emperor said that he would be greatly rewarded. The rewards? He doesn’t actually know.

His grandfather said to him that it was already all delivered to their estate. That was what he was looking forward to now as they rode back home.

However, before that...

Hey, system Lionel suddenly called out in his mind.

A familiar translucent panel immediately hovered right in front of him.

[Ding!]

[Yes, Host?]

Lionel’s vision became fixated on the screen.

What’s my first mission again?

[Retrieving mission details...]

[...]

[Mission Series: Save the Emperor from his death]

[Phase 1 Objective: Establish a strong bond with the Emperor]

[Required Progress: 100%]

[Current Progress: 8%]

[Condition: The host must reach 100% bond before the next mission phase is unlocked.]

Lionel’s brows furrowed slightly as he read through it.

"’ I only got 8% now after everything?" he muttered under his breath.

"That’s actually lower than I expected." He let out a sigh. It seemed like he overestimated his and the emperor’s bond earlier.

Right... if I were to save the emperor from his death then I need to be close to him

Lionel accepted the mission after giving it some thought. He knew that for his sake, keeping his grandfather alive would be in his best interest.

However, the first mission was already hard as it is.

For example, just like now. He talked to the emperor for almost half a day, and all he got was 8% progress. That means he still needs to meet his grandfather so much more if he wants to succeed in this mission.

Talking to the emperor was not that hard, but do you know what is?

It was to actually meet and be in the same room as him.

Because right now, the only way Lionel could meet his grandfather that close once again was if he got summoned again, which was not looking that positive right now.

"How can I meet my grandfather again?" Lionel whispered in the air. That was actually his main problem right now. If he could just solve that, he knew that he would actually be unstoppable.

"Right, is it time for me to ask help from my mother?" he pressed his lips together when he thought of it. It was actually not a bad idea, but he needs a solid reason for it.

After all, his mother wouldn’t actually believe him if he said that he just wants to be close to his grandfather. That was already suspicious as it sounds, especially with all the rewards and recognition he received in just a day.

Others would think that he just wants to get close to the emperor so he could gain more than what he received.

Lionel let out a slow breath and leaned his head back against the carriage.

"I guess that’s a problem for later." He talked to himself.

There was no point stressing over something he couldn’t solve right now. Forcing a meeting with the Emperor was not something he could do on a whim, so he had to carefully plan it out.

"For now... I should focus on the good part..." The corner of his lips lifted slightly as his gaze dropped back to the box on his lap.

"Which are the rewards?" If nothing else, at least today wasn’t a loss.

"But among all the rewards, gold would be nice..." he muttered. "With it, I can finally start earning my own money."

That alone would already make things easier for him moving forward. After all, why would he lose all the richness he could gain? Especially when he knew what would happen in the future.

’I guess let’s be rich?’ A small smile appeared on his lips as he closed his eyes for a brief moment. He calmed himself after that and took a small nap on the carriage.

- - -

Not long after, the carriage finally arrived at their estate. Rylan and Eiden quickly knocked on the door to awaken their young lord.

"We’ve arrived, my lord."

Lionel slowly opened his eyes at that. He yawned and stretched his arms. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

"Mm." The door opened, and he stepped down quickly. Rylan and Eiden followed closely behind as always.

Lionel didn’t waste time. He walked straight toward the main entrance of their estate. The large doors were already open as if waiting for him.

Lionel was expecting a box or 2. However, as soon as he stepped inside, he froze.

"W-What?" His eyes widened.

There wasn’t only a box or 2 in their foyer. Instead, the space was filled with large wooden crates and boxes. Some were already opened for his eyes to see.

Most of them contained golden bars... piles of it! There was also jewelry that was neatly arranged in cases. There were rings, necklaces, and gemstones of high quality. Aside from that, they also didn’t skip on fine clothing and books!!

Lionel’s jaw slowly dropped at that sight.

"You’ve got to be kidding me." He took a step forward, almost in disbelief.

"Ah." A soft voice came from the side that made Lionel turned. In there, the bright face of his mother greeted him. She stepped forward with a gentle smile as she welcomed back Lionel.

"My dear, you’re home." Her gaze briefly swept over him before gesturing lightly toward the overwhelming sight behind him.

"These are the rewards sent by His Majesty."

"All of... this?"

Elara let out a soft laugh before nodding.

"And not just that," she added. "The academy also sent its share. The gold prize that they promised for winning the retreat has already been delivered as well."