Precedence System: I Take My Rewards In Advance

For a moment, Mario thought about the assassin they had hired. That person had died before leaving the capital.

”Did we order someone under us in that battlefield as a backup plan?” Mario asked. ”We didn’t, right?”

Butler Jones shook his head. ”No, My Lord.”

Mario was certain of that as well. The plan had been simple. One person had been hired to make sure Zishan would not return from the battlefield.

There had been no masked person included in it.

”Also, why did the Commander not kill him right then and there?” Mario continued. ”Isn’t he on our side?”

”He isn’t, My Lord,” Jones said. ”However, because he owed the Walker Family a favor, he told us about that kid. He considered the favor returned after that.”

Mario stared at him. ”What?”

Jones became nervous again. ”My Lord?”

”He considered the favor returned?”

”Yes, My Lord.”

Mario’s face darkened. ”Idiots!”

Jones flinched.

”We could have found out about these things without his help!” Mario lashed out. ”Why use the favor of someone from the Holtz Family that easily for something as trivial as getting information about that brat?!”

Butler Jones opened his mouth.

Mario did not give him the chance. ”What the hell?! Who did that?!”

”My Lord, I—”

”Do you people even understand what you’ve wasted?”

Mario moved away from the broken table while trying to control his temper.

Commander Garran Holtz was not someone House Walker could simply order around. The man might have come from the Holtz Family, but most of what he currently had came from his own accomplishments within the military. Even the King had personally granted him the title of Marquess after everything he had done for Olmost.

A favor from someone like him could have been useful later.

Instead, someone had wasted it asking about Zishan. About information they could have gathered through other means.

Mario rubbed his forehead. ”Damn it! Never mind...”

The favor had already been used.

Getting angrier would not bring it back.

”Let’s just lie low for now.”

”Yes, My Lord.”

Butler Jones did not leave. And Mario noticed how the butler remained standing in the same place, looking even more uncomfortable than earlier.

”N-Not only that, My Lord.”

Mario looked at him. ”What now?”

Butler Jones swallowed. ”That Zishan kid had grown from Level 1 to Level 99 according to our intel within the military. Our people had seen his records...”

Mario disappeared from where he stood.

The butler barely understood what happened before Mario appeared directly in front of him and grabbed the front of his shirt, forcing him to face him.

”What?”

Butler Jones’ face paled.

”Did I hear that right? Can you say it again?” Mario pulled him closer. ”What do you mean he grew from Level 1 to Level 99?”

”Y-Yes, My Lord...”

Mario did not release him. ”Say it properly.”

Butler Jones struggled to keep his voice steady. ”A-According to the military records our people obtained, Zishan was Level 1 when he appeared in the Eastern Battlefield. And now he’s already Level 99, M-My Lord.”

Mario stared at him.

Level 1.

That much made sense.

Zishan had never shown anything particularly impressive when he lived inside the Walker Family. Mario would never have considered using him for their military obligation otherwise.

However, reaching Level 99 was different.

”How long?”

”Within his time in the military, My Lord.”

Mario’s grip on his shirt tightened.

Even talented youngsters from noble families needed time and resources to increase their Levels. Reaching Level 99 itself was not something Mario found impressive. Going from Level 1 to Level 99 in such a short period was another matter.

”Even Commander Holtz was intrigued,” the butler continued. ”He had seen his records...”

Mario finally loosened his grip slightly.

Butler Jones took the chance to breathe before continuing. ”And when he woke up, some said that he was a very talkative kid... which was very different from how he used to be within the Walker Family...”

Mario stopped.

’Talkative?’

For some reason, that detail caught his attention more than Jones probably expected.

The Zishan he remembered was anything but talkative.

The brat rarely spoke unless someone asked him something. He kept to himself most of the time and had never been someone who would openly question the people around him.

Mario slowly released Butler Jones’ shirt. The latter stepped back and fixed his clothes, though he did not dare add anything else.

Mario remained where he was, deep in thought.

The brat who left the Walker Family had been Level 1. Now, he was Level 99, and he had lost his memories. And according to the people who met him after waking up on that battlefield, even his personality had changed.

’What the hell is happening? It’s like I’m staring at a sea of clouds with no end in sight...’ Then, he found himself caught in a sudden tremor. ’What now? Holmes Family’s direction... what’s happening?’

After having faced a lot of questions from Elinox’s parents, Zishan finally let out a sigh of relief as he slumped to the ground. ’That’s so exhausting! Fuck! I did not even touch or do anything to their daughter—well... except the fact that she kissed me... well... well... forget it... damn...’

”What are you doing? Why are you still daydreaming?” Elinox snapped him out of his daze. ”We still got something to do.”

Zishan looked at her as he stood up from the ground, dusting off his pants. ”We’re going to officially register Ollie as my little brother, right? Where are we going to do that?”

”To the Olmost Registry,” Elinox replied. ”Let’s leave the two children right here and have them sleep inside your room for the meantime. We’ll come back right after.”

”Hmm.” Zishan nodded.

Elinox then looked at the two maids still in the scene. ”Take these children back to his room.”

Then, her gaze suddenly sharpened as she concentrated her aura throughout the entire estate. After that, her voice resounded in everyone’s ears, including Zishan’s.

”If you see anyone hurting these two, I will sentence them to death, even if they’re my brothers. Tell every person who wants to take them away. You’ve already made a mistake once by not stopping Ethan Holmes. I would hold it against you all if something like that happened again.”

Every servant in the estate stopped in their tracks and waited for more instructions.

However, they only heard Elinox say, ”Understood?”

’What the hell? How can she do that? She only has five Mana Affinities, right? I knew it! She actually has more! Damn! But... It’s not bad to have someone like her protect my little babies... Ollie and Silvy... I promise that from now on... I’ll strive to become even stronger so I can protect both of you better... I just hope I won’t lose myself in the process...’