"The class of the Great Sage. This was what the priest called the class you were assigned by the gods."

Emilya spoke, taking a long look at her coffee before she took a sip.

"According to him, this is a class that has not been documented before. By all accounts, you are the first to have been given such a class. He also mentioned how he would need to do more research on what the class could be capable of."

Adrian kept quiet the entire time.

After all, even he barely knew the full potential of the class beyond what he already understood, which was basically the ability to take the core skills from other classes as though they were his own.

Still, his mother kept going.

"Because of this rare class you possess, the priest has agreed to support us if you end up being the count. He assumes you will become something significant in the future, though he refused to tell me what that could be."

"Are you saying the priest now has respect for our family because of my rare class?" Adrian finally spoke.

His mother smiled and looked up at him.

"There are not that many people who even look our way since the death of your father. This is a good thing, do you not think?"

Adrian stayed quiet for a while.

’True, I cannot deny that. Having help from the church is a great way to get closer to the other nobles. That said, it is also a double-edged blade on its own.’

He sighed.

"I understand, Mother. Whatever you choose is what I will follow."

Hearing this from him immediately placed a smile on her face.

"Alright then." Emilya placed the coffee on the table. "I would like you to take over as the count, as soon as possible."

There was a bit of hesitation on Adrian’s face.

"Why the sudden change, Mother? I thought we agreed that I would first need to prove myself worthy of the position."

"The priest also told me something. Count Cass has been pressuring the duke to take over our county. His son, Victor, will likely be put in charge if he ends up being successful."

Adrian’s eyes widened slightly at the information.

It was something he had never considered before.

He had been so focused on proving to people how he would be a capable leader that he completely missed the part where powerful people could take advantage of the situation.

Count Ashmere was weak as of right now, meaning the transfer of ownership would be almost entirely easy.

Especially since the past two leaders had failed to do anything with the territory for years.

Adrian bit his finger, a nervous look playing on his face.

’As it stands, our county offers nothing for the kingdom, no army, no resources. We are basically handicapped right now. Damn it.’

Emilya smiled, a sad one, but a smile nonetheless.

"You really never act your age."

That single comment caused Adrian to snap out of his thoughts.

Even Liora, who was standing at the far back, could not help but make an I-told-you-so look on her face.

But that was not the reason he was surprised. He had already heard it so many times that it almost meant nothing now.

The main reason was because, other than the fact his mother was incapable of ruling the territory, if he were to step in, there was nothing stopping the count from using his age against him.

Of course, that was to say if he did not prove himself before that happened.

’But that is easier said than done.’ He squinted his eyes in frustration, the type of expression that should never show on a child’s face.

And his mother noticed it rather quickly. Only, before she could speak, Adrian had already made up his mind.

With one move, he leaped down from the chair and stood to his feet, giving his mother a bow.

"Mother, the deal was I would have to do something worthy to earn me the right to this position. Let me do this. I would rather it be as planned."

There was silence for a while.

Liora seemed a bit shocked at her master’s response, her eyes slowly fixed on him.

"Very well. I will do my best to keep the position protected until you do so."

"Thank you for understanding, Mother."

With that, Adrian turned and walked away, exiting the room before uttering any other word.

But then, Liora, who was about to follow him, was suddenly stopped.

"You wait. I would like to have a word with you in private, if you do not mind."

Liora froze up.

After all, this was the first time the head of the house had bothered to speak to her directly.

Slowly, she turned around to look at Emilya.

"Y-yes, Lady Emilya?"

Emilya chuckled, but her smile faded just as quickly.

"I want you to do something for me."

...

Meanwhile...

Adrian had found a spot on the bench outside the mansion, where he sat not too far from where the garden was.

Resting on the side of the bench was the same book he had been reading for days. However, that was not the main focus.

[Territory Core.]

His eyes were focused on the glowing runes. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

[Territory: Ashmere County]

Population: 2,143 | Morale: 28% (Hostile)

Treasury: 87 gold | Monthly Income: -12 gold

Military: 18 soldiers | Average Level: D-Rank

Infrastructure: Crumbling (12% efficiency)

Resources: Iron Deposits (Undiscovered), Aether Wellspring (Dormant)

[Active Quests Available: 3]

[Upgrade Paths: Locked until Population reaches 3,000]

’Hmm. This is far worse than I expected it to be.’

A look of pure torment at the realization played on his face that very moment.

There was quite a lot to do from the look of it, but knowing where to start was another issue entirely.

’Well, one thing is certain. Power is the first thing I should focus on. I do not have much when it comes to raw fighting capability, which is why I focused on getting someone like Liora first.’

He narrowed his brows.

’I will make her start training as soon as possible. Since her class is an SSS-class, it should be easier for her to reach her peak in no time. As for me, there is so much I need to do. I cannot remain weak.’

[Notice: A new quest has been issued.]

’Huh?’

Adrian turned his gaze to the side to look at the quest.

Then, he heard a voice call out to him.

"Lord Adrian! Lord Adrian!"

He turned and noticed a maid running toward him, with panic written plainly on her face.

"We have trouble, my lord!"