The first thing that came to me when I woke up was the pain all throughout my body. It felt as if I had been repeatedly used as a punching bag as I let out a groan and opened my eyes. I was back in my room, and there was a plate with some fruit on the desk next to my bed. It seemed I had pushed myself well beyond my body's limits in the spar with Adrian, but a heavenly 'ding' notification broke my concentration.
I pulled up the system and began to read the flood of notifications I had received while unconscious.
[Congratulations the skill 'Swordsmanship' has ranked up to D.]
[System Mission has been completed! Raise the rank of two of your skills. REWARD: 250 credits, +0.20 to the two lowest stats.]
[Title: Mission Newbie's effect has activated. Granting constitution +0.10.]
[Mission rewards have been distributed.]
[Congratulations, lucky event has been triggered! New title has been generated due to your unyielding willpower.]
[Title: Unbreakable Will]
[Thank you for your hard work!]
I reread each notification multiple times as I my heart surged with joy. Everything had worked out perfectly, and I even gained a new title during the process. I quickly checked my stats and new title to check the changes that had occurred while I was asleep.
{Stats: Ray Glouse}
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Strength: 2.50 (+0.25)
Dexterity: 2.65 (+0.25)
Constitution: 2.45 (+0.25)
Intelligence: 3.42
Wisdom: 3.42
Charisma: 5.20
Luck: 9
Credits: 1200
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{Titles}
[NEW] Unbreakable Will: As long as you have a strong and firm will, you will be able to surpass your limits and exhibit abilities above your own. There will be a rebound, however, whenever this occurs.
Illness Survivor: Immune to any natural illness.
Mission Newbie: After completing a mission a small random stat boost of 0.10 will be given. The Luck stat is exempt from this. (This title can be upgraded)
(HIDDEN): SYSTEM LEVEL TOO LOW
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My heart leapt with joy as I saw the increase in stats I had received due to completing the mission. My constitution stat had jumped up by 0.30, and my dexterity had also increased by 0.20. The new title was also an unexpected boon since it would now allow me to briefly display abilities above my current state, albeit with a corresponding rebound. The rewards were plentiful this time, and I still had two more missions to complete.
The ball was just around the corner, and I needed to acquire an ally to successfully complete the mission. I had already made my appearance well known to the world through my upcoming competition as well as by my trips in the duchy. All that was left to do was to seal the deal on both missions and move on.
A knock on the door brought me out of my thoughts as I told them to come in. As expected, Ana walked in with an unexpected visitor: Reiia. I mustered up as much energy as I could and sat up, trying my best to cover up the pain that filled my body.
"Young master, do not overexert yourself! We just came by to see how you were faring."
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Ana approached me with worry in her eyes as struggled to sit up, but I gave a slight wave of my hand to dismiss her worries. I eyed Reiia the entire time as I tried to guess what the reason for her visit was. I assumed it was because of the declaration she had made before the duel with Adrian.
Sensing my curiosity, she quickly spoke up.
"Master Ray, I wanted to be the first to congratulate you on your victory against Adrian. The sheer determination and analytical eye you displayed during the duel impressed everyone." She gave a small pause as she looked into my eyes. "My oath to you was not just flattery, but one I made with faith in your future. If possible, I hope you take better care of yourself to alleviate our worries."
I gave a soft chuckle as I thought over her words.
"I am honored that you think so highly of me, but to reach the peak one must climb the mountain do they not?" I gave both of them a bit of a smirk as I continued. "My body is weak, and I am behind my peers in terms of talent and time. As the heir to the duchy, it is my duty to develop into the best leader for everyone."
I let out a small sigh as I stretched my arms. "I will not hear anymore about this. Vice-Captain Reiia, I will prove to you and everyone that your faith in me was well placed. With my body in this state, it would be best to refrain from physical training for the next few days. Instead I will focus my efforts in writing letters to the other families and personally send my greetings."
The two of them stared at me with an odd look, but Ana was the first to react with a slight giggle before bowing.
"I will get you the necessary items for the letters. Vice-Captain, you will soon get used to his stubbornness and antics..." Ana gave off a warm smile as she continued. "Ray is committed to being the future of the Glouse Duchy, and it is our responsibility to aid him in any way we can."
"I see, it seems that the lord I have chosen will be quite the handful, good thing I enjoy a challenge!"
Reiia gave a hearty laugh before taking her leave with Ana.
I sat there on the bed reflecting about the things that had transpired so far. Reiia swore an oath to me, and this was key for my future plans. I am the heir of a duke, I need to start acting and thinking like one. So far, I had been acting like I was still a regular ol' Joe who worked a nine to five. This was no longer the case, I had resources and influence that I had to take advantage of. Seeing Reiia kneeling and offering her future to me brought this realization to me.
I gripped the side of the bed as I heaved myself up to go and wash my body. These letters would be an important way to put a tiny bit of pressure on the allies of the house. Since they had been leaning to the other duchies due to my illness, it was time to remind them where their loyalties should be...
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Ana had dropped off the envelopes, paper, ink, and wax for me to use while I was bathroom. During my wash, I had thought of various things to write, but in the end decided to be simple. All I needed was to bait these youngsters towards me during the ball so that I could then establish actual relations. I quickly got to work writing the letters to Vanderland, Ravengard, Eagleson, and Gallowood, but felt as if something was missing.
I sat back in my chair as I began to ponder on what could possibly be missing. After a bit of reflection, a lightbulb went off in my head as I realized what it was. I meticulously began drafting a letter that stood head and shoulders over the previous ones I had written. My goal was to express my heartfelt gratitude and excitement through the letter, and after a couple of drafts admired my masterpiece.
I gingerly placed the wax seal on each envelope as I called for Ana to retrieve them. After she had left, I decided on taking the rest of the day slowly as I waited for my body to recover. I visited the study and read up on any news that had arrived to us.
In particular, I was impressed by the interest in the cooking contest. It seemed to be the current news in the empire and had made rounds throughout every major city. My father couldn't believe the amount of letters he had received on the topic of the contest, and the many partnerships and advertising requests that had been made. A quick summary had been given to me as I let my father handle all the behind the scenes action while my mother took care of the social scene.
I hadn't realized before, but my parents were quite the duo in the political stage. In the game, due to the death of Ray, they had become despondent and depressed, eventually causing the duchy to decline in status. The game had no mention of their prowess before the decline, and only truly focused on the Hartford and Ludile duchies.
Now that I had a first row seat to their lives, it was obvious why they the Glouse's were considered strategic geniuses. They carefully planned every detail, and used each other's circle's of influence to further their agendas. My mother in particular was well known amongst the noblewomen due in large part to her tea parties. Through these tea parties, she's able to keep a pulse on the rumors and gossip in the empire while also inserting her own. My father, on the other hand, regularly travels for meetings and business, allowing him to have a large network of people. He is also the prime example of being a public leader, and constantly interacts with the public. The citizens of the duchy love my parents, and make it quite obvious whenever the duke and duchess appear in public.
I can't help but feel a flutter in my heart whenever I see them together. It was well known that they were a match made in heaven, and they often displayed their affection for one another. They are one of the cutest married couples I had ever seen, and I am eternally grateful to whatever entity gave them a chance at a happy life.
Who knows, maybe I could enjoy a happiness like that one day? I let out a soft chuckle as my thoughts began to embarrass me. With that I decided to call it a day as I left for my chambers to rest. With the ball just around the corner, I needed to be in top shape so that I could be prepared for anything.
Hopefully, the outfit Isabella has prepared for me will be ready soon. I want to be able to inspect it before the actual day of the ball if possible. I hadn't had any updates on the outfit since our first meeting, but it's only a matter of time now judging by how much time had passed.