Nicholas POV

Two months had passed after the awakening ceremony.

Nothing significant had passed; the only thing to note was that the newly awakened people had seminars in dugeoneering at the church.

It was currently at night in this bedroom, Nicholas is sitting on a chair by a large desk at the corner of his room. He is brainstorming his plans moving forward in this world, he is writing diligently on a blank page of a journal, and after a while, he slowly put his writing to a halt.

He then flipped it to the first pages of the journal. This book contains some of his thoughts, ideas, and goals for this world. But most importantly, it serves as a diary of the day-to-day events happening around him.

Aside from that, he also uses this to take notes on his learning and experience in the seminars. These seminars not only focused on dungeon but also provided introductory lessons on skills and leveling up.

Skills commonly used by awakeners consist of two areas: weapon skills and elemental skills. Awakeners would most likely know their compatibility with weapons and elemental skills by the symbol of their crest and the color of their soul core.

Crest symbols are divided into 5 categories: dagger, bow, lance, sword, and tomes. While the color of your soul, at least when you first awaken, indicates your element, which can be divided into four categories: water, earth, fire, and air.

These compatibilities indicate what kind of skills awakeners are able to use and what they are compatible with.

Nicholas noted in his notebook that it was quite a straight-forward system of combat, in which a sword crest awakener can still pick up any weapons but cannot use any other skill but a sword skill. While a fire soul core awakener cannot use any other elemental skill, even if an awakener learned and studied it, the awakener does not have an affinity for it.

Nicholas: "That's about it." He finished writing on the diary for tonight and stretched his arms upwards to relieve the tension building up on his arms from writing.

When he first started to write in the journal at 5 years old, this world was lacking in technology, and he got bored most of the time, so he decided to write in a diary and read some books to pass the idle time.

He had no idea what his goals were in this life. His initial goals are to live a happy and comfortable, slow life. Learning some hobbies like cooking, making poems, songs, and other literature.

This thought of his might be influenced by his past life since he hadn't had much experience in that regard. He was also quite tired of such repetitive things as working and socializing. But one thing he realized was that despite having a tiring job, he was also quite fond of managing people and had quite a knack for it.

At first, his initial ambition was to succeed his father as a count while being a merchant, managing his territory and a booming business known throughout the world. But then he realized the presence of monsters and dungeons around the world.

Money and fame can't be suitable without proper strength to back them up. It's good that he has a system to back it up. So, while he was still a child, he needed to lay the foundation for his amazing future.

He slowly flipped the pages of the journal. Reading about the day he met a cute, chubby girl who wants to be a protector of the empire. Waving her small wooden sword, she shouts sword moves like imitating the movements of the soldier.

However, her movements are crude at best and super slow since he was struggling to wave the wooden sword. She was just like him when he first started seeing the skills of the soldiers; it fascinated him, making him wonder if he could copy the skills.

But unlike her, he gave up immediately after being lectured by his father because he wouldn't be able to learn skills until he was awakened.

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

He continued to observe the child exhaust herself before making his move. He then approached her with a towel to clean and dry herself from the dirt and sweat in her body.

??? "Thank you, kind sir." she stuttered.

Nicholas: "Hi, I'm Nicholas! I saw you practicing really hard and couldn't help but approach and tell you..." He was about to tell her that she couldn't learn skills just by copying, but she suddenly cut him off.

??? "Sir Nicholas. Handsome." she blurted out while being in a daze.

Nicholas: "Haha!" He laughed a bit.

The rest was history; she became my personal knight. Her appearance when he first met her was, to say the least, laughable.

Nicholas: "Clarice really changed a lot, huh?" he said after chuckling at the fond memories he documented along the years.

Nicholas continued to flip through the journal, reminiscing about the memories. After a while, he stopped at a page where he was roaming in the city center, with the excuse of enjoying the local scenery and playing around.

But in actuality, he was looking for future investments and business opportunities, but most of all, he was looking for a person to nurture before starting his business empire. He was scanning people with his ability, looking for a person with a relatively high INT stat.

After not finding a suitable seedling in the central market. I proceeded to the outer parts, hoping to stumble upon a hidden gem, but not after as long as he thought. "Found you," I said, having a mischievous thought. Observing her near a café, her eyes were darting around, looking for something. Suddenly, her eyes made contact with my garments, quickly averting it.

After finishing my dessert, me and my guard left the establishment.

Lucas: "How is the puff pastry their young master?" asked the guard who is currently accompanying me around town.

Nicholas: "It was as great as you said; it was Lucas." He smiled at the guard, looking satisfied.

Lucas: "Umu, it is one of the best places in the outer district; I am glad it was to your taste, young master."

The guard replied with a satisfied face. After walking for some time, a girl with bobbed hair and her bangs partially covering her eyes came near us. She was holding a flower basket, seemingly trying to see us a flower.

??? "Young master! Look at these pretty flowers. The spring celebration is just around the corner. Please buy some flowers to commemorate the celebration."

continuing to speak, seemingly trying to convince me to buy some flowers.

Nicholas: "Sure, why not?" he said, taking out my pouch full of money.

After completing the transaction,

??? "Thank you for buying a flower, young master," the girl said happily, then skipped away as if she had won something big.

*Sigh* Nicholas looked at the pouch and counted the coins. He heaved a sigh of regret; she didn't take enough. What the girl took was significant enough for her, but not that much for an ordinary noble to notice.

Nicholas: *She is quite clever. It looks like I have to do it my way. * He thought of an impromptu plan to incriminate the girl.

He then tapped Lucas while having a confused reaction plastered all over his face, then looked at him before saying.

Nicholas: "Lucas, uhmm... I'm missing some of my money. I think that girl took some after bumping into me." He pointed at the girl, merrily skipping away.

He looked at Lucas with a wry smile, feeling defeated. He didn't want to interrogate such a little girl, but he also didn't want to invalidate his young master's suspicion and intuition. It took him a few seconds to weigh it in his conscience before making a move.

Lucas: "STOOOOP! LITTLE GIRL! Come back here; we want to ask some questions." Lucas shouted in the direction of the girl, skipping away.

The girl froze and a bit of cold sweat, not daring to run away from the guard. She looked at Nicholas before saying.

??? "What's the matter, young master?" She slowly came back and smiled at both of them.

He then approached the girl very closely, looking directly into her eyes and scrutinizing her while subtly placing several gold coins into her basket since she was distracted by his gaze.

Nicholas: "Did you steal from me?" he asked sternly.

??? "Young master! Why would I steal from you, and why would you accuse me of stealing?" she said in a loud manner, attracting the attention of people on the streets.

Nicholas: "Lucas, please search her; she looks suspicious. I think she has the stolen money."

Lucas immediately rummaged the girls belongings but found nothing but some silver and bronze coins, not so much as to believe she stole them since she fervently argued while shouting that they were her life savings.

Attracting some public attention, the girl has a slight smile on her face, thinking she won't be persecuted. He pointed at her flower basket. Lucas immediately removed the contents of the basket and found several gold coins.

Looking at the girl now, her face looked like she fell into the deepest despair, only muttering the words.

??? "I didn't steal that," she said dumbfoundedly.

Nicholas: "Lucas! Please take her to the barracks dungeon in the mansion. And I will personally administer the punishment," he said to his guard, trying his best not to make a mocking smile at the girl.

But the girl, realizing my scheme at the look on my face while she was being taken away, said the only thing she said was "YOUUU," quickly stopping what she would have said before lamenting her failure.

Chuckling at the entry of my journal saying "Maid acquired," he continued to flip through the journal.

He continued flipping his journal for some time before finally closing it and muttering.

Nicholas: "Let's sleep; I have a busy day tomorrow."