After an hour of Michael's parents gushing over his accomplishments in the business world, Michael redirected the topic of the conversation back to the sewer system.
"Castelle, the reason we visited you is because I want to use the company's influence on a major project."
"A major project, sir?" Castelle asked, intrigued.
Michael cast the same recreation of the River Dames with the sewer system in place, allowing Castelle to grasp the idea fairly quickly.
"We have to do this or else a plague will spread throughout the City," Michael warned.
Castelle gasped as she covered her mouth in shock.
The mere mention of a plague brought back unpleasant memories Castelle would rather forget. She had barely survived that last one. She just didn't want another girl to end up losing parents like she had.
Her sharp eyes conveyed her determination to prevent this plague no matter the cost.
"Young Master, what can we do?" she asked firmly.
Bart stepped in, explaining that they only needed the approval of all the citizens in Kingsbridge to start the construction of the sewer system.
This was particularly the greatest challenge since creating an all-encompassing sewer system that connected all homes and buildings to the River Dames would disrupt the daily lives of citizens, even if it was for a short while.
There might only be a few people who would allow someone to tear down their entire building floor to create a strange sewer system they didn't understand.
This was a hard task to accomplish, even with the combined resources of the Vanderbilt business and the Reborn company.
Michael turned to Castelle. "Sorry for putting this on you, Castelle. Ever since I made you manage the company, you have been burdened with a lot of responsibilities."
Castelle shook her head. "No, it's fine, Young Master. The truth is… I'm not as hardworking as Beretta, nor am I as skilled at cleaning as the other maids. But ever since you gave me responsibility for your company, I feel alive. My heart races with every decision I make, every step toward growth."
"All my life, I thought I wanted to be a maid, but after you let me manage the company, I realized that this is what I wanted this whole time. I want to manage a company, I want to make decisions that would lead to its growth… I want to see the smiles on everyone's faces as they use our products."
"And now, you are giving me a chance to help prevent a plague… the same kind that took my parents away from me."
"You have made me feel like I'm living the dream with all of this. So please don't say that, Young Master, I love working for you," she confessed.
"Please let me continue to help you to save the people of Kingsbridge from a plague, Young Master!"
In her desperation, Castelle grabbed Michael's hands, her voice pleading.
Michael was about to assure her that he was going to do everything he could, but just as his and Castelle's hands touched, he suddenly felt a jolt of electricity course through his entire body.
[Supreme Skill: Gift Bestowal activated.]
[Castelle]
[Potential Talent]
— SS class Business Mogul
[Potential Skill]
— Golden Nose
—— The user will gain a sixth sense, allowing them to have an intuition on business decisions that will lead to the best monetary outcome possible. Advancement of this skill will further allow the user to have a more accurate intuition, allowing them to weigh and choose between multiple potential outcomes.
[You have discovered Castelle's hidden talent. Would you like to awaken it?]
Michael's eyes widened as he saw ChatJK2's message before his vision.
Since the Goddess had told him nothing about his Supreme Skill, Michael had no idea how it could be used.
So, he was entirely caught off guard when he realized it could be activated with a simple touch.
I can awaken her talent? Does it need some sort of sacrifice?
[No. You can awaken anyone's talent at any time you discover them.]
So, I can awaken her talent right now? Just like how the priest awakened my talent?
[That is correct, Michael.]
On top of that, it was also incredibly lucky that Castelle's talent turned out to be an SS-class talent, which was considered to be very rare.
Meanwhile, Michael's silence finally caught everyone's attention.
"Michael, honey, are you okay?" Lylia asked, stepping over to his side.
After coming to terms with the situation, Michael shook off his surprise and turned to Castelle to ask her a very important question.
"Castelle, do you trust me?"
The maid didn't hesitate to nod her head. "Of course, Young Master."
"Then tell me—do you want to become the official CEO of the Reborn company?"
Both Castelle and Bart were unfamiliar with Michael's terminology and blinked in confusion.
"What's a CEO, Young Master?"
"A CEO is the one who takes complete charge of a company, making all the key decisions needed to further progress the company in the right direction. If you accept, you will officially handle everything that is related to Reborn," Michael explained.
Castelle seemed to have understood the general idea about the position, but like Bart, she didn't think that she was right for the job.
She thought her job as a manager for Michael's company was only temporary. Once the company got a little bit bigger, she thought he'd replace her with someone who was more capable.
"I don't think I can do that, Young Master. I'm not worthy!" Castelle stammered, waving her hands in denial.
Michael, however, knew better. "You've been managing the company just fine without me. You're more than capable. And if you think that you can't handle more, then I can help you with that. I can awaken your talent!"
His words stunned everyone present in the office.
"Michael? What are you talking about?"
He smiled and raised his hand towards Castelle.
ChatJK2, awaken her talent, please.
[Understood.]
The next instant, a golden aura, unlike any mana elements in his cores, gathered around his arm.
Lylia and Bart immediately recognized that the golden light was the same as from Michael's talent awakening and let out a surprised gasp.
"Mom, Dad. I figured out what my Supreme Skill does," Michael said as he focused all the golden aura in his hands toward Castelle.
"I can awaken anyone's talents."
The golden light flashed towards Castelle's body, enveloping her with a golden light that blinded her for a second.
[Awakening Castelle's talent…]
[Downloading the entire syllabus course on Business Management from the top Universities directly to Castelle's mind…]
[Awakening complete.]