SSS Investment: Legendary Rewards From My Wife

The next morning, Reinhard gathered everyone in the backyard. Emily sat comfortably beneath the shade of the terrace while Yuna stood beside her with her tablet in hand, and Maki and Lily waited nearby, both curious about why Reinhard had called everyone outside so early.

Reinhard reached into his bag and pulled out two fruits. They were about the size of apples, but faint golden lines covered their surfaces, shifting whenever the sunlight touched them.

Lily’s eyes widened immediately, while Maki’s expression became more serious.

”So we’re finally doing this?” Lily asked.

Reinhard smiled as he handed one fruit to each of them. ”Looks like it.”

Lily stared at the fruit for several seconds before looking toward Emily, whose gaze remained fixed on them. She knew exactly what they were.

”Should they really become Awakeners?” Emily asked quietly.

”Of course,” Lily replied immediately, holding up the Nexus Fruit with a grin. ”You can’t stop us anymore!”

Emily hesitated. ”But...”

Maki sighed softly. ”Based on what Reinhard told us, the final treatment will be dangerous if we don’t become Awakeners and strengthen our bodies. This isn’t something we can avoid.”

Yuna nodded. ”It’s better to let it happen, Emily. The whole reason you didn’t want the three of us to become Awakeners was because you said it was dangerous. I became one because...” She stopped herself and looked away before continuing, ”Never mind that. Maki and Lily have a reason to do it now, even though it’s dangerous. We all have a reason to become strong enough to help you.”

Reinhard raised an eyebrow at Yuna before looking toward Emily. She was gripping the fabric of her shirt while staring down at her jeans.

He understood immediately.

Reinhard walked over and gently pulled Emily against him before caressing her cheek. ”Times like this are when you believe in your family,” he said softly. ”You trust that things will turn out well.”

Emily slowly looked up at him.

Reinhard smiled. ”After all, you have your husband here with you now. You’re not alone.”

Emily stared at him for a moment before a small smile appeared.

”Fine,” she said. ”If we’re doing this, then they have to become strong.” She looked toward Maki and Lily. ”No. Extremely strong. Stronger than anyone else in their rank.”

Reinhard laughed. ”I agree.”

Lily rolled her eyes while smiling, Maki gave a faint smile, and Yuna chuckled quietly. The decision had been made.

Maki looked down at the Nexus Fruit and took a slow breath.

Lily simply bit into hers.

”Wait,” Maki said.

Lily froze with half the fruit already in her mouth. ”What?”

”You aren’t even going to prepare?”

Lily swallowed and shrugged. ”I’m hungry.”

Reinhard covered his mouth to hide his laugh while Emily sighed. ”That’s exactly what I expected from you.”

Maki shook her head before finally taking a bite herself.

The moment the fruits entered their bodies, both sisters froze.

Mana surged through them.

Lily’s eyes widened as the energy rushed through her body, while Maki immediately clenched her teeth and focused on controlling her breathing. Their bodies trembled as their dormant Gnosis reacted to the sudden influx of power.

Emily sat straighter. ”Maki.”

”I’m fine,” Maki said through clenched teeth.

Lily’s hair lifted slightly as mana gathered around her body. ”This feels... weird.”

Reinhard remained beside Emily, watching carefully. The energy inside both girls continued rising until a faint glow appeared around their chests.

Their Gnosis had awakened.

The pressure slowly settled.

Maki opened her eyes first, followed by Lily.

Both had become D-Rank Awakeners.

Emily released a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding.

Reinhard smiled. ”Congratulations.”

Lily immediately looked at her hands. ”I can feel it.”

Maki nodded slowly. ”So this is what it feels like.”

”How about your Gnosis abilities?” Reinhard asked.

Lily tilted her head and closed her eyes. For several seconds, nothing happened.

Then her expression changed.

”I see stars.”

Everyone looked at her.

”Stars?” Yuna asked.

Lily nodded. ”Fifteen of them. They’re all in my mind, but only one is shining.”

Reinhard’s interest immediately sharpened.

Before anyone could ask another question, Lily suddenly turned and ran toward the house.

Emily blinked. ”Where is she going?”

A few moments later, Lily returned carrying the enormous red sword she’d picked up in Marvello. The blade was nearly as tall as she was.

Maki eyed it. ”You’ve been dying for an excuse to swing that thing properly.”

”It’s been sitting in my closet judging me,” Lily replied. ”It deserves better.”

She stepped into the middle of the backyard and gripped the Crimson Fang with both hands before closing her eyes.

The air around her went still.

Mana emerged from her body, and when she opened her eyes again, the normally multicolored blue, green, and yellow irises were glowing with mana.

She swung the Crimson Fang.

The first movement looked completely ordinary.

The second was faster.

By the third, the enormous blade was flowing through her hands as though she had been using it for years.

There was no wasted movement. Every swing naturally led into the next, and despite its size, the weapon moved as though it weighed almost nothing.

Maki’s eyes widened. ”How is she slashing so well? I’ve never seen her train that much with it.”

”It doesn’t need that much training when your Gnosis does the training for you,” Lily called back, still swinging.

Emily watched carefully. ”It’s her Gnosis. It looks like it’s granting her mastery of the sword.”

Reinhard hummed and flooded his eyes with mana.

The world changed.

He could see Lily’s mana clearly, then the structure of her Gnosis beneath it. A massive star sat at its center, surrounded by swirling golden light, while fifteen enormous swords revolved around it.

One of them suddenly moved.

The sword shot forward and slashed directly toward Reinhard’s neck.

Reinhard simply leaned his head half an inch to the side without breaking eye contact.

”What an interesting Gnosis,” he said with a chuckle. ”And also, please don’t.”

Lily stopped swinging and giggled. ”It feels like I’ve been using the sword for so long!”

Yuna smiled. ”Well, as long as you’re okay.”

Reinhard nodded before looking toward Maki. ”Your turn.”

Maki hesitated before closing her eyes and reaching toward her Gnosis.

Nothing obvious happened.

She tried again.

Still nothing.

Lily leaned closer. ”What does yours do?”

”I don’t know yet.”

Maki frowned and concentrated harder.

A faint seal appeared in front of her, small enough that it was almost impossible to notice. Yet the moment it formed, the mana around it became strangely still.

Reinhard’s eyes narrowed as he examined it.

Maki’s Gnosis looked completely different from Lily’s. Instead of swords and stars, it resembled a massive seal covered in intricate markings, with layer upon layer of symbols surrounding its center, each seemingly representing a different kind of restriction.

Maki opened her eyes. ”I think I can create seals.”

”Can you control what they do?” Reinhard asked.

”I’m not sure.”

”Try.”

Maki raised her hand, and the small seal appeared again. She placed it against one of the training targets.

The moment it touched the wood, the entire structure stopped moving.

Maki blinked. ”It sealed it.”

Reinhard smiled. ”That sounds like a good start. Very quiet, very sneaky. I like it. You’re the family’s designated trap-setter now.”

”I didn’t ask for a title.”

”You have one anyway.”

Emily looked between the two sisters. ”They both have unusual Gnosis abilities.”

”Looks like our family has terrible luck with normal abilities,” Reinhard said.

Lily laughed, Maki gave him a look, Yuna smiled, and Emily shook her head.

Then Emily noticed something.

”Reinhard.”

”Hm?”

”You did that twice.” She pointed toward his eyes. ”Flooding your eyes with mana before looking at Lily and Maki. You were trying to see their Gnosis abilities.”

”I was.”

Yuna’s eyes widened slightly.

”When you reach a certain point in Mana Sovereignty, you can see another person’s Gnosis, including its shape and some of the abilities connected to it,” Reinhard explained.

Lily immediately perked up. ”Wait. You can do that?”

Reinhard nodded. ”Apparently.”

Lily stared at him for several seconds. ”What an absurd ability. Not only does it increase your mana control, but it also lets you check other people’s abilities?”

”There are far more benefits than that. It’s pretty fun seeing what other people’s Gnosis look like.” Reinhard glanced toward Yuna. ”And speaking of which...”

His eyes filled with mana.

Yuna’s Gnosis appeared in his vision.

A massive golden orb floated within her body, surrounded by flames that continuously coiled around it. Inside the orb were two crimson, sun-like eyes staring directly back at him.

Reinhard blinked before grinning.

”Yours is interesting too.”

Yuna raised an eyebrow. ”What does it look like?”

”Something that looks like it would stare back at me.”

Yuna frowned. ”That’s not very helpful. But I always knew my Gnosis was strange. Blazing Dawn was weird.”

”Actually, I’ve been wondering,” Reinhard said. ”Was holding up the roof back then part of it?”

”Hm? Yeah. It gave me limited telekinesis.”

”Amazing.” Reinhard laughed. ”Well, let’s continue.”

He reached into his bag and brought out two Dawnheart Crystals.

Maki and Lily immediately recognized them.

”You’ve awakened, but you’re still at the beginning of D-Rank,” Reinhard explained. ”These should push both of you much further.”

Lily took hers eagerly, while Maki examined hers before nodding.

They activated the crystals.

Warm energy spread through their bodies.

Maki’s mana became steadier almost immediately, flowing with greater control. Lily’s reaction was much more explosive, mana bursting outward before she quickly pulled it back into herself.

”Whoa!”

Reinhard laughed. ”Looks like yours has a personality.”

Lily grinned.

After several minutes, both sisters stabilized.

Their mana had risen significantly, and both had reached Peak D-Rank.

Maki looked at her hands. ”This is much stronger.”

Lily swung the Crimson Fang once, and the air cracked from the force. ”I like this.”

Reinhard nodded. ”Good. Because we’re not stopping there.”

He brought out another set of materials.

”Now it’s time for the family techniques.”

Lily looked at him. ”Mana Sovereignty?”

”Mana Sovereignty.”

She glanced toward Emily and Yuna. ”So this really is becoming a family technique.”

”Of course.”

Lily crossed her arms. ”That sounds like a lot of practice.”

”It will be.”

She sighed.

Reinhard smiled wider. ”But the best part is that it’ll keep you alive, so I can hear more from my favorite little sister.”

Lily scoffed. ”I’m not little.”

”You were shorter than me five minutes ago.”

”I’m still shorter than you!”

”Exactly.”

Lily glared at him, Maki covered a smile, Emily laughed quietly, and even Yuna couldn’t help smiling.

Reinhard then began teaching Maki and Lily the principles of Mana Sovereignty. The Immortal Emperor Body followed naturally.

Lily nodded slowly. ”So we’re basically turning our bodies into another mana reservoir.”

”Exactly.”

”And everyone in the family can do this?”

Emily smiled. ”Yes.”

Lily grinned. ”I really like our family techniques.”

Maki nodded. ”So do I.”

Reinhard looked pleased. ”Good. Then use them.”

Yuna stepped forward and helped them practice controlling the mana flowing through their bodies. The three girls spent the next several minutes practicing together while Emily watched.

Eventually, Reinhard stepped aside.

He had used Mana Sovereignty for a long time, learning it through combat, observation, experimentation, and simply having enough mana to brute-force problems most people couldn’t. Even so, there were still things he hadn’t fully understood.

Emily noticed one of them.

She watched his mana circulate for several moments before speaking.

”You’re pushing too much mana through it.”

Reinhard stopped. ”I’m pushing too much?”

Emily nodded. ”You’re trying to control every part of it.” She stepped closer and watched the mana around his hand. ”Mana doesn’t always need to be forced into place. You already know where you want it to go. Let it follow the path instead of trying to drag it there.”

Reinhard looked at his hand and tried again.

This time, he didn’t force the mana.

He guided it.

The difference was subtle at first, but the mana immediately became smoother.

Reinhard’s eyes widened slightly.

”So that’s what I was missing. I’ve been out here manhandling my own mana like it owed me money.”

Emily smiled. ”Better?”

”Much better.”

She smiled proudly. ”I told you.”

A sudden surge of mana interrupted them.

Everyone turned toward Yuna.

A powerful pillar of light erupted into the sky as the barrier around the backyard activated instantly, trapping the explosion inside the training area. Mana lightning spread across the ground while flames twisted through the air.

Reinhard reacted immediately.

Space opened around the largest bursts of energy, swallowing them before they could reach the others. Another tear consumed a streak of mana lightning as the ground shook beneath their feet.

Maki grabbed Lily and pulled her backward while Emily remained beside Reinhard.

”Yuna!” Emily called.

Yuna stood in the center of the backyard, her entire body glowing with a crystal embedded against her chest.

Reinhard recognized it immediately.

The Deep Enlightenment Crystal.

Yuna had used it.

Mana continued pouring from her body, but unlike the chaotic surge at the beginning, it was already starting to settle. The flames around her calmed, the lightning disappeared, and the remaining mana began circling her like a controlled storm.

Reinhard stared before smiling.

”She’s breaking through.”

Yuna’s body released another wave of mana.

This time, it wasn’t wild.

It was immense.

The pressure spread across the backyard, and Maki’s expression changed. Lily stopped smiling, while Emily’s eyes widened.

Then the pressure vanished.

Yuna slowly opened her eyes.

They shone with brilliant light, and the inner strands of her brown hair had turned golden, almost as though fire had been woven through them. Her eyes glowed crimson, with yellow sun-shaped patterns burning inside them.

For several seconds, nobody spoke.

Then Lily grinned. ”Yuna!”

Maki smiled. ”Congratulations.”

Emily’s expression softened with genuine pride.

Reinhard looked at Yuna and laughed. ”The second A-Rank Awakener in the family.”

Yuna looked down at herself.

She could feel it.

Her Gnosis had changed. Her mana had changed. Even the way the world felt around her was different.

She slowly raised one hand.

Mana gathered around her fingers before expanding outward, and the air itself seemed to respond.

Yuna looked toward Reinhard.

”I can feel everything.”

Reinhard’s smile widened. ”Good. So what can you do?”

”You wouldn’t believe it,” Yuna said, her eyes still shining.