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“Congratulations!” Aleshia exclaimed.

She stood up and walked over to Zio. She picked him up from the ground and hugged him tightly.

“You did well…” Aleshia whispered.

Zio didn’t finish first, but it was enough for Aleshia that he managed to finish within the time allotted by Lawrend. She could still proudly raise her head high in front of her other Sisters. Her son was capable of competing with them even though he wasn’t born from an exotic race.

“Thank you, Mother…”

Zio returned the embrace and closed his eyes.

Lawrend walked towards them and he patted Zio on the head. He felt proud for him since he was born from his first love in this world. He was special in a sense.

“Father…”

Zio opened his eyes and worriedly stared at Lawrend. By this point, he had already realized that he wasn’t the first to finish. It was disappointing for him, but he could live with it. Though, he was still a bit worried about Lawrend’s reaction to it.

“You did great. You don’t have to worry about not finishing first,” Lawrend said.

He could tell that Zio was worried about it.

“Yes…”

“For now, go to Veronica and the others. They should have understood a lot of the booklet I gave them. They will be able to teach you what it is about.”

Zio nodded his head. Aleshia let him go and placed him on the ground. She urged him on, and Zio ran to Veronica and the others.

“Master, they grew up so fast. One day, they will be as big as you and me,” Aleshia muttered out loud.

“Yes. The future is uncertain. I might die or I might win. My goal is to make sure I will be the one to decide that question,” Lawrend replied as he looked up at the bright endless blue sky.

“Before that day happens, can you… marry all of us first?” Aleshia asked.

Her question wasn’t a good one to ask as it showed she didn’t fully in his abilities to win the battle against the Goddess. But still, she asked because she wanted to be honest with him.

“If that will make you calmer, then I will.” Lawrend nodded his head.

He didn’t try to trick himself by saying that he would surely come back alive. He wasn’t even sure how much more powerful the Goddess was compared to him. Their strength difference might be too hard to bridge over.

“Thank you, Master.”

Aleshia smiled at him thankfully. This was one of the traits she liked about him. He was very open-minded when it came to things. He didn’t get angry at her for expressing her concern over his defeat.

…

Another day passed.

Veronica and the others aside from Zio had already fully memorized the text from the booklet. They were now in the process of contemplating how it worked. Knowing the contents wasn’t the last step to reading a book. They had to make sense of it too.

Aezel assisted them as she sat beside them on the flat ground. She would interject once a while if they made any mistakes. When it was their time to sleep, she would put them to sleep in tents laid out nearby.

Lawrend noticed someone move from the last two. He immediately looked over.

It was none other than Courage. His eyelids trembled, and he slowly opened his eyes. It was calm and serene just like a still pond. He turned his head and looked around him.

He released a sigh and shook his head.

“Imperial Father,” Courage called out.

He didn’t feel any excitement. As the successor to the imperial throne, it was upsetting for him to not be able to win over his half-siblings.

“You did great. Your time doesn’t mean you lost. Compared to billions of people, you are better than them. One day, you will have your own fortune,” Lawrend said to encourage him.

After hearing those words, Courage’s mood became better. He smiled and stood up. He embraced Lawrend’s legs with a smile on his face. And as protocol, Lawrend patted his head.

“Thank you. I will do my best to not disappoint your lineage,” Courage said.

“Was that something your mother told you to say?” Lawrend asked with a slight smile on his face.

“Sort of. Mother told me to work hard to not disappoint your lineage.”

“I see. Then do well you should. I will not blame you for whatever happens,” Lawrend replied.

At this stage of his children’s life, Lawrend knew that it was important to encourage them to grow. If he told them mean things, there would be a high chance that they wouldn’t grow to their full potential.

Courage stared at Lawrend with determined eyes.

“Go on and learn the next step.”

Lawrend gave him a slight push in Veronica and the others’ direction.

Just as Lawrend was about to return to his seat beside Aleshia, he noticed a particular change in his last child that was still not done sensing her mana pathways. He stared at Straw’s figure intently.

Her cute cat ears trembled, and she opened her eyes. She immediately sensed Lawrend’s intense gaze and looked over. She smiled at him.

“Nyaa! I did it!” Straw uttered excitedly.

She stood up and jumped into Lawrend’s embrace. Lawrend caught her and swung her around with a wide smile on his face.

Straw’s joyous mood affected Lawrend, especially since she looked very cute.

“You did great! I’m proud of you,” Lawrend said and embraced her close to his chest.

“Nyaaaa… You smell bad, Father. Take a bath!” Straw complained after she took a small sniff of him.

“You can smell it?” Lawrend asked with a bitter smile on his face.

He awkwardly placed her down on the ground.

“It’s faint but I can still smell dirt-nyaaa!” Straw answered with a complaining face.