Admiration

"Amazing… truly amazing!"

Ethan couldn't believe his eyes as he run his hand carefully on the map.

To his surprise, the map felt real. It had a variety of textures depending on what was drawn upon it.

The ones with the icons of mountains felt a little rough, while those with the icon of the sea felt smooth.

It was an indescribable experience for him.

Ethan also noticed how vivid the colors of the map were.

It felt real.

To the point that he felt as if he could really see the tall mountains and vast seas of Free World.

Zen silently observed them silently with a smile on his face as he recovered from the mental strain that the magic caused him.

Looking at how his parents looked at the map in wonder filled his heart with joy.

'I'm glad that I can be of help to them again…'

He also saw how his sister caressed the map with an enchanted expression.

This caused him to let out a soft giggle, prompting a glare from Sera.

"Hmph."

Sera rolled her eyes at her brother before continuing to observe the map.

'It's a pity that I still didn't know where I am in the game… if I did, then I could have told Brother and we could have met already the next time we enter the game.'

She could feel the regret in her heart as she stared at the map before her, 'I will make sure to ask Master next time!'

Clenching her fists, Sera made a promise to herself.

Ethan, who was still engrossed on the map, couldn't help but glance at Zen from time to time, 'As expected of the commander's son…'

At first, he doubted Zen's abilities, which was very normal.

After all, through their connections, Ethan knew that Zen had spent the majority of his life bedridden at a hospital.

Besides, since they had no contact on Ren and Rina, they knew close to nothing about their families.

Therefore, upon witnessing the abilities that Zen demonstrated, Ethan couldn't help but look at him with eyes of admiration.

'Even the way he presented himself in front of an audience without any sign of nervousness… He's outstanding indeed.'

At this moment, he saw their commander walking towards him with a smile.

Looking at his comrade, Ren had a knowing look on his eyes as he patted Ethan's shoulders, "So? What do you think of my son?"

Ethan had a wry smile on his face, "He's indeed amazing, Commander."

"Haha! Of course, he takes after me."

"Ehem." However, just as Ren finished speaking, Rina coughed a few times.

"Yes, he takes after his mother too."

Ren added before glancing at his wife and saw the satisfied expression on her face.

At the sight of their antics, Ethan only chuckled softly but commented no further, 'I might become entangled with their shenanigans if I talk. So let's stay quiet for now..'

After all, even he had some things he was scared of. Two being his commander and boss.

'Hmmm, why do I keep feeling that it's missing something?' Zen felt unsettled at the unknown emotion he was feeling.

At this moment, his father and mother went beside him with a look of admiration.

"Son, thank you for your hard work. With this, we can rest assured that we will be able to stay ahead of other organizations who wants to make use of Free World for their own benefit…"

"Hon, what are you saying? He's my son, so of course he's amazing!" 

Before her husband could finish speaking, Rina immediately went on and hugged Zen tightly without any reservations.

"U-Ummm, Mom…"

"What? You don't like being hugged by Mom anymore?"

"N-No, it's not that…" 

Zen, who was being squished by Rina, tried to protest but ultimately gave up.

He could only look at his father with a pleading gaze, but Ren only dodged his gaze and stared at the map.

At this moment, Ren suddenly looked at him and said, "By the way, Son. I have something I'm curious about…"

"Ask away, Dad."

Zen responded while still being tightly hugged by Rina.

"About the map… Can you make it stay there? Or do you have any ways of moving it?"

'Crap!'

Zen immediately recognized the unsettling emotion he was feeling.

'I forgot about that…'

Ren could tell what his son was thinking from the expression he was making.

"Ummm, Dad… I think it will be better if you just take a picture of it, hehe…" Zen smiled awkwardly as he answered.

As he already had an inkling of this, Ren only laughed, "Haha! Don't worry, we'll take care of it."

Bang—!

However, the door to the conference room suddenly opened with a loud bang, attracting the attention of everyone.

"I-I'm sorry I didn't mean to intrude, but this is an urgent matter!" The one who barged in was Sophie, who was wearing a formal black suit.

However, the distress on her face was apparent as she breathed heavily.