Of course, it would have been incredibly economical.

If only it weren’t a scam.

Huh?

A scam?

Yes. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

Because the money-grubber, who should have only needed to buy sets of items for other people, now had to buy his own.

All because of the incredibly scandalous and admittedly accidental discovery of his maternal bloodline ability that took place shortly after the discovery of his mother’s.

Currently sprawled on the ground, looking like a spotlight was marking his lump of a body, Luca Soren Kyros was lamenting his fate.

See, the heir to such a prestigious house—and the hidden Imperial Crown Prince Consort—was feeling extremely broke.

"H-host!" D-29 exclaimed frantically. "This diligent manager shall monitor the Trove for future promotional activities! There may someday be bundle discounts! Seasonal discounts! Maybe even loyalty rewards!"

"Huhu...hu..."

Meanwhile, Sid, who had definitely never been trained to ever comfort financially distressed Imperials, stared at the slumped Luca for a long moment before finally adding, "...Little Master. We will definitely earn back the funds. This is simply an investment.

Then, after a pause, the guardian mecha awkwardly added, "Moreover, not just counting CP... Your current assets still classify you as offensively wealthy."

But Luca only looked more devastated.

The golden-eyed cadet, only just managing to sit up in one corner with his knees slightly drawn up, stared blankly at the projected prices like he had just watched several barns, chicken coops, pigs, and revive pills explode before his eyes.

"...One million..." he whispered weakly.

D-29 panicked harder.

"Host! Please stay strong!"

As one could probably tell, the young lad was reeling from the Elders’ insistence that he gain proficiency in the abilities of the people around him for the good of everyone.

Luca could definitely understand the reasoning behind their suggestion, and at first glance, it seemed like the best thing to do.

But now that he was thinking about their circumstances, didn’t that imply he’d need to learn the same things?!

And if he were expected to learn alongside the likes of Theo, then didn’t he need materials of his own?!

He would.

He definitely would.

There was just no way he’d take Theo’s educational supplies!

As such, the already melting goo softened even more as he thought about all the zeroes and the CP flying out of his non-existent but definitely weeping wallet.

But in the first place, just how did the initially jovial lad even end up this way?

__

It was shortly after they all came to the conclusion that Duchess Amelia could channel the last element she used through weapons.

According to the Elders, as her strength and mastery improved, the scale of the ability would likely grow as well.

Hearing such words was really exciting because her ability looked promising; just imagining how unpredictable she would be on the battlefield was already one thing to look forward to.

The Empress even thought about how fortunate they were to be allies, or at the very least on the same side.

Because with something like this... She would’ve hated being enemies.

Just imagine how this would revolutionize the way the Duchess could fight with a biomecha.

How flexible and unexpected would her attacks be once they could integrate the ability?

And the Elders were saying that this was just the beginning?

But what do you know? Apparently, their words were not meant only for the Duchess.

At that point, the resident experts finally addressed everyone gathered in the testing grounds.

"Take note of your discoveries today. How much you could produce, the color, the size, the feeling after using your ability... everything."

"If you can determine your limits, then you’ll know which ones can be broken through. And even before that, if you’re aware of what you can currently do, then you’d easily notice the smallest changes."

"Because as your spiritual energy grows stronger and your control improves, you’ll likely be able to increase the duration, scope, or even the change manifestations themselves."

"Therefore, if you’re still capable of practicing, continue doing so."

Safe to say, everyone became even more motivated after hearing that.

Killian, however, suspected it was less because of the Elder’s inspirational words and more because of the promised reward that Luca shyly mumbled about.

And just what reward had everyone suddenly running around in a frenzy?

Apparently—

An entire allocation of that thing called beggar’s chicken.

Not a wing.

Not a thigh.

Not even just the ribs.

The whole thing. Not that any of them had an idea what that really was, but even with such an odd name, knowing Luca, it was bound to be good.

And all they had to do was provide conclusive reports regarding today’s experiments.

Easy. At least, like this, he’d be able to make use of his documentation skills.

Though not everyone reacted with extreme joy the first time they heard it, because of their differing circumstances.

The Chief of Staff vividly remembered the mortified expressions of his new in-law earlier when he realized he had nothing to report because he still had not discovered his ability. The blonde practically deflated right then and there.

But thankfully, Luca clarified that the criteria weren’t just awakening. Instead, what he wanted to see was a detailed list of everything tested, regardless of whether it worked or not. Hearing that, everyone became eager to continue experimenting.

Then again, it made sense.

Knowing what did not work was still one step closer to finding what would.

So naturally, none of them could afford to slack off.

Especially not when even actual babies were earnestly trying their hardest to follow the Elders’ instructions and the smell of the chicken.

__

One such baby was Princess Gianina, who had somehow enlisted Brother Chipmunk as her personal warmer.

As in the literal kind.

See, Luca, who had resumed monitoring the cooking process with his ability, of all things, had suddenly been tasked with carrying the little Princess every now and then.

Not because she disliked walking or simply wanted to play around, but because of a legitimate concern.

As someone who had only just discovered what she could do, the young Princess still wasn’t fully accustomed to the sudden temperature fluctuations in her body whenever she used her ability. As such, to avoid shocking her system, it was best for someone like Luca to assist her.

Not to mention that the golden-eyed cadet genuinely enjoyed being around such an adorable child.

But none of them expected such a simple thing would eventually lead to another strange discovery.