Chapter 16 - Menace

'Impossible! How? Does he even have a core? I should check!'

The Duke stood up sharply and looked at me.

"Gilland?"

"Yes, Father?" I responded humbly.

"I need to check something, come closer for a moment." He said, walking away from his table.

"This naughty man," Ana said, squinting her eyes as the Duke walked away from his table and towards me.

'My core?'

"He can't find out that you are generating ether...I will interfere and use a sub-skill of independent manifestation to create an illusion that will show him something he wants to see."

The Duke went to his knees in front of me and placed his hand softly on my chest while closing his eyes.

His eyes suddenly widened, "You have a core?! This is impossible. Did you lie about being thirteen?!"

"I am thirteen, your grace."

'Ah, I doubted him... that won't help with the father-son relationship I'm trying to build.'

"Sorry for doubting you... it's just the required age for a human to have a core is fifteen...",

'Not to say a core this big and wide and this rushing surge of energy... it feels like that of an elf.'

He stood up and patted my head, with a smile that seemed to relieve him of his stress.

"Indeed you are special. Reilfreid has brought me a treasure."

The warm smile he wore on his face and the wrinkles that surrounded it made him a very pitiful soul when merged with the story Siegfried told me. I began to wonder how much he must have shouldered in and out of the dukedom.

"I should find a prima that will train you"

"Say no!"

"No!"

The force and suddenness of Ana's voice impulsively pushed mine.

"No?" The Duke was surprised to hear my response.

"Well, Siegfried said he will teach me all I need to know," I said, holding up the sword.

"Ah, is that so... then you will have no issues leaving for the Imperial Palace sooner than planned." He said.

I was shocked but it didn't last long because I yearned to go outside of this place and see what this world is really like.

"We'll talk more about this after dinner. Also, my wife and daughter will be coming home tomorrow, you should get ready to greet them."

"Yes, Father!" I said joyfully and bowed.

The Duke patted my head once again, he must have felt really impressed after checking my core. I afterwards excused myself.

'Do we have to hide my powers from others?'

"We must! We absolutely must! My existence must never be known!"

'Alright, I got it...you didn't have to shout.'

"Oi, kuso... wanna die? Who said you could call him master?" Her eyes were practically flaming and her veins almost popping out of her head as she glared at Siegfried. I could feel the poor guy shiver in my hand.

'Stop that Ana, Siegfried is stuck with us for now so you guys better get along.'

"Nani?!!! muridayo Goshujin sama!! Muri!!"

'Of all languages, why does she have to get addicted to Japanese...?'

Her bickering wouldn't stop even after I reached my room and lay on the soft king-sized bed.

'The Duke's wife and daughter are coming tomorrow Uh...I wonder what they will think of me. They are probably going to be mean like how fantasy novels always paint them. I should prepare another volume of transmigator's guide to surprising nobles and making a name for yourself but this one will be focused on impressing foster mothers and sisters.

My eyes slowly closed even though I had not even had dinner. It was a long day, the fun of it might have made me forget I was very tired and even though I had an extraordinary body, I still needed sleep.

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"Goshujin Sama..."

"Goshujin Sama.."

"Goshujin sama!"

"Goshujin sama!!!"

"Wahhhhh what is it!" I flared up from deep within my sleep, it took a moment for me to get myself in order because I was deep into the sleep.

"We need to continue training... we should leave Clairvoyance and go into another step."

My eyes which were half closed turned to her, I was finally getting the situation.

A00000"this crazy bitxh..."

"Goshujin!!"

Her shout once again jacked me out of my dizzy state.

"What? what? what? what? what?!! for god fuxking sake!!"

"I'll let the fact that you just deliberately called me a bitxh slide but we need to train."

"I need to sleep..."

"There's no time to train during the daylight and you think you can sleep at night time? Goshujin you seem to have forgotten your promise"

"That I will find the rings..."

"My sisters"

"That's what I said..."

"No, you said the rings, you did it earlier today on the field."

"Well, that's because... wait did you say earlier today? Why am I awake if it is not the next day?"

"It's 11:23 pm according to that thing called clock." She said, pointing to the rectangular wall clock that was opposite my bed.

"Ana, did you wake me at 11:23 so we can train? Anastasia this is called wickedness. You are being a menace and it's unfair towards the health of our relationship." I said to her, hoping my words will get to her and she will let me sleep.

"It's a little sacrifice to pay for the liberation of my sisters... Stand up master, let's continue our Clairvoyance training."

'I'm fuxked', not only did my head think it but even my eyes twitched in agreement.