The next day.
Luke was woken by the cicadas outside—those desperate mating cries that also meant summer was about to hit its hottest stretch.
He was awake, and honestly he wanted to go right back to sleep, but the moment he rolled over, he remembered someone had said they were gathering here today.
So he sat up in one motion, scratched his messy hair, and yawned.
After washing up, he got dressed. The outfit the designer had painstakingly made yesterday had already been tossed into the wardrobe—looked great, sure, but it wasn't comfortable.
"Check in."
He said it silently in his mind.
[Congratulations, Host, you have obtained: Ordinary Realm Upgrade Card*1]
[Congratulations, Host, you have obtained: Ordinary Skill Upgrade Card*1]
"Hm?"
Hearing the system prompt, Luke opened his item inventory to check the descriptions.
[Ordinary Realm Upgrade Card: After use, realms below Unyielding can be automatically increased by one level]
[Ordinary Skill Upgrade Card: After use, skills below LV5 can be automatically increased by one level]
"Good stuff."
After reading it, Luke used them without hesitation.
Sure, saving them for later might have made the effect "better," but to Luke, that wasn't important.
Getting stronger without effort felt incredible.
[Ordinary Realm Upgrade Card used successfully. Congratulations, Host, your realm has advanced to Heroic (Early Stage).]
[Ordinary Skill Upgrade Card used successfully. Congratulations, Host, your skill Wind-Controlling Swordsmanship has advanced to LV4 (Integrated Mastery).]
As the upgrade chime rang out, a familiar sensation spread through Luke's body. A warm current surged from his heart, flowing into his limbs and throughout him—unbelievably pleasant.
A minute later, the warmth faded. Luke felt the difference.
Right now, he could absolutely deal with two versions of himself from one minute ago—easily.
At the same time, with Wind-Controlling Swordsmanship leveling up, new insights and experience appeared in his mind, as if he'd trained for a long time.
A small boost like this didn't really move Luke.
By then, he'd already left his room, heading to greet Jarvan III.
After meeting Jarvan III, he even ate breakfast with him. Roy and another minister were also there, and they happened to be discussing Luke.
"This minister believes that since Your Highness is already over eighteen, you should not be left idle in the palace with nothing to do. Perhaps, like His Highness Jarvan IV, you should define a clear goal as early as possible."
Roy clasped his hands together, speaking calmly.
Jarvan IV had moved out of the palace at eighteen, and even then he'd already had an extremely clear goal.
Simple: become stronger, become an excellent commander, and defend the nation.
Now, Luke had only been back in the palace for a few days, and the ministers were already thinking about his future.
Luke, eating on the other side, heard Roy say that and immediately felt this old man was pretty annoying.
"That's true," Jarvan III seemed to think for a moment, then looked at Luke. "What goals do you have for the future?"
The question landed on Luke.
After thinking for a second, Luke said frankly, "Father, my goal is to plant a few acres of good farmland. In spring, I'll sow a handful of seeds, water them a little every day, and wait for winter to harvest."
Everyone present fell silent for two seconds.
It was the first time they'd ever seen someone describe coasting through life with such clear-headed, refined honesty.
Anyone else could say that and nobody would blink.
But you're a prince!
Roy held his temper and asked again, "Does Your Highness have no other ambitions?"
"Ambitions?" Luke thought, then flashed a bright grin. "My former ambition was to become someone above everyone else. I've already achieved it."
Silence again.
Roy's mouth twitched as he lifted his gaze at Luke.
If your brother said that, he'd get beaten.
Only you would dare say that to your father's face.
Jarvan III maintained a gentle smile the entire time. "A person's ambitions are endless. You simply haven't found new ambitions yet. There's plenty of time—you can think slowly. We'll leave it at that for now. Go have fun."
His tolerance toward Luke was obvious to anyone watching.
With just a few sentences, he brushed the matter aside.
"Yes, Father."
Luke was basically done eating. He stood, gave the ministers a slight bow, and left.
"Your Majesty, no matter what, Prince Luke is still a prince of the realm. You must not raise him to be too lax and idle," Roy reminded seriously.
Jarvan III replied slowly, "He just hasn't adapted yet. Give him more time."
What only he cared about was this: the two "ambitions" Luke had named were both the most bottom-level goals—things an ordinary person might pursue for their entire life.
"Your Majesty, he's your son. Of course you see him with a halo," someone else spoke up then, tone lightly teasing.
Everyone looked over.
Tianna sat in her chair, smiling. "If you ask me, that boy isn't simple."
Roy asked, "High Marshal, what is your view on this matter?"
"I think that boy is pretty similar to my girl. Neither of them has any definite goal for the future. They both live one day at a time—if they can be happy for a moment, then that moment is enough."
As Tianna spoke, she took a sip of tea. Only after swallowing did she look at Jarvan III with a smile. "The only difference is, my girl has a strict mother, while that boy has an overly doting father."
That was very clearly aimed at Jarvan III.
And Jarvan III only smiled, not refuting her.
Tianna then turned to Roy again. "When someone's status changes drastically in a short span of time, their mindset can easily change a lot as well. Trying to shape his future right now is simply too rushed."
"At this stage, no matter what goal he claims to have, it may not be real. My view is: free-range."
After Tianna finished, Roy asked, "What do you mean by 'free-range'?"
Tianna said, "It means you manage the big things and don't micromanage the small ones. Life-defining matters must be managed. Trivial matters don't need to be."
With Luke's status, what counted as "big" or "small" would still need careful consideration.
But Tianna's meaning was already clear.
She wasn't saying Luke should be neglected.
A nobody gaining the greatest power in the shortest time—what kind of mindset change could that cause?
Only asking Luke himself would give the clearest answer, but the people present could very easily imagine the worst.
That was the kind of "big thing" that had to be managed.
Jarvan III's gaze flickered. He'd considered all of this too.
But because of the guilt in his heart, the king's strictness still lost to the father's compassion.
Smiling, Jarvan III said, "Just say it all at once. I can tell you already have an idea."
"It's not really an idea," Tianna stood and offered her suggestion. "But he's young—if he stays idle like this, sooner or later he'll become useless."
"My recommendation is: stuff him into the academy. Let him study for a year first. After a year, we'll see the results. During that time, I'll also keep an eye on him for you, Your Majesty."
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