"I have a new task for you two." Lionel lightly crossed his arms while looking at the massive warehouse behind them.

"What is it, my lord?"

"I want you two to start looking around for possible business partners." Lionel looked at the mountains of sugar around them.

"Business partners?" Eiden repeated.

"Yes," Lionel nodded lightly. "Find merchants or anyone who regularly needs large amounts of sugar."

The two quietly listened carefully as he explained.

"Don’t approach them directly, but just gather information first."

"What kind of information, my lord?"

"Their background, reputation, finances, and how many goods they usually handle," Lionel answered calmly. "I also want to know if they’re trustworthy."

"Understood, my lord." Rylan immediately nodded.

"I’ll leave the scouting to you two," Lionel added afterward. "Write everything down properly, too."

Eiden puffed his chest confidently.

"You can leave it to us, my lord!"

And just like that, the two immediately began working on the task during the following days.

- - -

A few days later, the atmosphere inside the Exelio estate was still peaceful as usual. In Lionel’s room, there was already a bundle of paper and documents spread across his desk.

After waking up, Lionel calmly flipped through the reports one by one. Rylan and Eiden really did a good job on this one.

The two had been moving around the capital and nearby districts for days now while scouting possible business connections for the sugar trade.

"This bakery purchases this much sugar every month..." Lionel quietly murmured while reading.

"And this merchant specializes in imported sweets..." He placed that paper aside afterward before grabbing another one.

What’s funny while looking at the reports were some were written neatly, and there were others that looked rushed and messy.

Lionel could already tell which ones were written by Rylan and which ones came from Eiden without even asking them.

A small, amused smile appeared on his face for a brief second. Honestly, the two worked much harder than he expected.

Knock. Knock.

While scrolling through everything, a sudden knock echoed from outside his room.

"My lord," Diana’s soft voice sounded as she knocked for another time. "The carriage is already ready. We need to set out now."

Lionel slowly closed the documents in front of him before answering.

"Alright. I’ll head out now."

Today was finally the day when he would be officially introduced to and begin training at the Imperial Knights’ Training Grounds.

He will go back to the palace since that was where the training grounds are. The place was where young nobles and talented individuals trained before properly becoming imperial knights.

I don’t really know what to expect... Lionel sighed as he slowly stood up from his chair.

Compared to before, he was now wearing much simpler clothes suited for training. He was wearing a dark, fitted uniform that covered his body.

Lionel stepped outside his room, and he saw Diana already waiting for him. The woman looked pleased to see Lionel.

"You look so manly today, my lord." The woman tried to coax him, but Lionel just sighed.

"Thank you, Diana." He answered.

To prepare for this day, he took his training with Sir Reinhardt properly these past few days. He also fed his pet mana every day, and lastly, he prioritizes his sleep more than ever so his body can recover.

But even then, he was still somehow tired from it.

Behind Diana, there were also Rylan and Eiden, who were already waiting nearby.

"My lord," the two greeted immediately.

Lionel nodded lightly before walking together with them through the halls of the estate. However, halfway through, he suddenly remembered something.

"Right," he spoke while slowing down his steps slightly. "Let’s greet mother and father first before leaving."

Yesterday, the two specifically reminded him not to leave without seeing them first, so that’s what he would do.

"Sure, my lord." Diana immediately nodded at that.

Rylan and Eiden also followed behind quietly as they changed direction altogether. Soon enough, the group arrived near the front of the estate. What greeted Lionel first was the sight of his parents already waiting there for him.

Elara was standing near the entrance while smiling proudly toward her son. Her eyes were practically shining while looking at Lionel, dressed in proper training clothes. She couldn’t believe that she would see her son in this!

Meanwhile, beside her stood the Duke.

Unlike Elara, the Duke still had his usual serious expression on his face. He stood there calmly with a straight posture while looking at Lionel silently.

However, Lionel’s attention was immediately pulled somewhere else.

More specifically... toward the object his father was carrying.

It was a sword.

Lionel’s eyes paused on it for a moment.

The sword was still inside its sheath, but even then, it already gave off a heavy and sharp feeling. The black sheath was decorated with subtle silver details, while the handle looked firm and well-made.

"This is...?" Lionel unconsciously muttered.

Elara smiled brightly after noticing his reaction.

"Your father prepared that for you," she said proudly.

At the side, Arden calmly stepped forward before holding the sword out toward Lionel.

"You’ll be entering the Imperial Knights’ Training Grounds today," he spoke in his usual deep voice. "It would be embarrassing if my son entered there without a proper weapon."

Lionel blinked slightly after hearing that. Honestly, he didn’t expect his father to be this thoughtful!

"Take it, Lionel," the Duke added.

Lionel slowly reached out before accepting the sword carefully with both hands. He could feel the weight of the sword. For sure, this was high quality.

"This sword was custom-made for you a few years ago," Arden continued calmly. "But back then, you don’t take your trrainings too seriously and you’re too weak to properly use it."

Lionel quietly looked down at the sword in his hands. Hearing those words sent something warm to his heart.

"Now, I think it’s finally time for you to use it."

At the side, Elara looked emotional for some reason while watching the scene.

"Do not embarrass the Exelio family while training there." The Duke tapped Lionel’s shoulder as the corner of his lips rose to a small smile.

"Make us proud, son."

= = =

A/N: Thank you for reading so far! I know I promised a Chapter, but I’m currently swamped with finals, so I’ll immediately get into it after!

Anyway, I would like to shout out Mr387! Thank you for dropping golden tickets!