Hero return - 06

After welcoming Marquis Hale and the family troops, the servants quickly returned to their respective duties, leaving the front yard feeling a bit emptier. Lucian glanced around, making sure no one was watching him anymore, then let out a quiet sigh. "Finally, they're gone..." he murmured.

Lucian took a deep breath, his shoulders slightly slumping as his flat expression turned weary. His eyes were still on Keith's back as he disappeared behind the mansion door, then he touched the mask covering half of his face.

Before he could calm his thoughts any further, suddenly a notification popped up in front of him.

[Notification: A new quest is available.]

Lucian blinked, a bit surprised. However, his eyebrows quickly furrowed in suspicion. The system displayed the current quest screen.

✦•┈๑⋅⋯ ⋯⋅๑┈•✦

DAILY QUEST

Build a Harmonious Family Relationship!

Marquis Hale doesn't seem to care much about your presence. Do you want to change that? Show that you're a valuable child!

Target: Try to get closer to Marquis Hale.

Reward: +10000 exp, +100 CHA

✦•┈๑⋅⋯ ⋯⋅๑┈•✦

[ Notifications ; Do you want to receive it? ]

Lucian stared at the notification screen with a flat expression before clicking quietly. "You think I'll accept it?"

There was no response from the system, but the notification remained floating, as if insisting on waiting for approval.

"Although this is a seemingly easy quest, however this is too suspicious. Look at that crazy gift." His eyes swept over the conspicuous 1000 EXP and 100 CHA points additional section on the screen. "Capitalist type developers will not be that good."

[ Notifications ; We feel offended by your accusations. ]

[ Notifications ; We want you to know that this is a rare opportunity! ]

[ Notifications ; We guarantee that these rewards are worth the difficulty! ]

Lucian scoffs. "Difficulties? You're asking me to get close to someone who clearly doesn't acknowledge my existence. That's not a quest, it's like pouring water on a taro leaf.

[ Notification; You're too suspicious! Trust me, this is just for your character development! ]

[ Notification; This quest is specifically designed to enhance your social experience. Remember, healthy interactions are an important part of life! ]

Lucian stares at the notification for a long time before finally frowning. "...Wait."

[ Notification; ? ]

Lucian points at the screen in front of him. "You say this is important for my character development, but isn't this more like your personal desire to see something interesting?"

The system is silent.

Lucian squinted. "Right?"

Still no response.

Lucian crossed his arms. "Alright, enough. I'm rejecting this quest."

[ Notification; Are you sure? This is a rare opportunity! ]

"Yeah."

[ Notification; What if we add more rewards? 2000 EXP? Rare items? Free gacha tickets? ]

"No."

[ Notification; ...5000 EXP? ]

"No."

[ Notification; we is disappointed. ]

"Whatever."

[ Notification; Quest has been withdrawn. Good luck with your boring EXP methods. ]

[ Notification; (⁠눈⁠‸⁠눈⁠)]

"This damn system...!" Lucian clenched his left hand, trying to hold back from actually screaming. "Why do I feel like I'm being bullied by a program that's supposed to help me?" He grumbled, staring at the transparent screen that was slowly fading from his view.

Ignoring the clearly mischievous system, Lucian took a deep breath before stepping away. He had a lot on his mind right now. He walked to his room with a calm stride, even though his thoughts were filled with various considerations.

Once he got to his room, he closed the door and took off his mask, placing it on the table. He then stretched a bit before sitting down in the chair.

"Huh, totally not reliable." Lucian clicked his tongue with an annoyed expression, his eyes narrowing sharply as if assessing something disappointing. Casually, he leaned back in his chair, crossing his legs in a lazy yet elegant motion.

"Even the info from the guild isn't here yet," he muttered softly, his fingers tapping on the armrest in a slow rhythm. His sharp eyes glinted with impatience. "At this rate, my plan isn't going to work."

"Actually, the reason I invited them to collaborate besides getting information is..." Lucian tapped his fingers on the table, his eyes narrowing as he thought. "Gaining the trust of Duke Reynald Florence."

In The Luminous Hero of Avandor, Duke Reynald is one of those characters who has a big influence, even if his role isn't always in the spotlight. But for Lucian, who knows the game's storyline, he's one of the few nobles who's reasonable enough to team up with.

"In the game, he's pretty helpful. If I can earn his trust, then..." Lucian trails off, thinking of all the possibilities in his head. "At least I'll have one strong ally to face the changes coming up."

Of course, gaining a Duke's trust isn't easy, especially for someone like Lucian Hale with a bad reputation. But with this info about the dark money flow, he's got a chance to build a beneficial relationship. Lucian smirks.

But now I haven't even gotten any info from them, is it because the investigation just started a few days ago? His face fell again, he leaned back against the table and let out a long sigh.

He sat back down in his chair. Without enough information, he couldn't take the next step. It's like playing chess in the dark - one wrong move, and he might get stuck in a scenario even worse than the original game.

Lucian stared at the ceiling of his room while thinking. Time keeps moving, but he still doesn't have a solid footing in this world. If he wants to survive, he has to be more aggressive in seeking information - he can't just wait for everything to come to him.

"I guess I have to prepare another plan," he muttered quietly, his eyes closed as he tried to recall the plot of The Luminous Hero of Avandor in the future. Suddenly, the benchmark sound of a bird's beak sounded from the window of his room, it was a message bird sent by a guild servant.

Lucian opened his eyes and turned his head towards the window. A repetitive knocking sound sounded from the beak of a black-colored bird with sharp eyes looking at it. It was a message bird—one of the communication methods used by Guild Servants to transmit information securely.

Getting up from his chair, Lucian walked over and opened the window. The bird immediately jumped in, gripping the edge of the table with its sharp nails before sticking out its legs bound by small rolls of paper.

Lucian quickly unrolled the scroll and opened its contents. His eyes immediately scanned line after line of text written in dark ink.

"Thanks to you, our investigation into the flow of funds is complete, right. As you said, the culprit is the queen. We found transaction evidence in the form of secret document and financiap records that lead directly to her. Besides that, we've secured several key witnesses who know about the dark fund flow. Thanks to you, we also got additional information about the crown prince and all of that is in our hands now. By the way, we can play chess again later, I'm looking forward to it."

Lucian tapped the tip of the letter with his fingers, squinting as he processed its contents. "Playing chess, huh...? So they agree to work with me."

He unfolded the paper further, finding more of the letter's content.

"And also, a few days ago my member said someone suspicious was seen coming to our guild."

Lucian paused reading for a moment, his expression tensing up. "The Servent Guild isn't well-known to people. Could it be...?" He quickly continued reading, hoping the next piece of information would confirm his suspicion.

"We have also received information that the Empire has summoned a Guardian. For some reason, everything went according to your word. I won't ask what happened, so I just said that as per the agreement, we will report everything you request.

Signed, Alpha."

Lucian squeezed the letter slowly, his expression darkening. "I expected it."

He sighed deeply, trying to calm down. Although he had predicted this would happen, the speed of the development of the situation remained beyond his expectations.

"Damn, I didn't expect them to call the Guardian this soon. Are we already entering the game's scenario?" he muttered softly. If the Guardian has been summoned, then the story wheel has started to turn, and that means danger for him is becoming more real.

Lucian gripped the letter tighter, his fingers pressing the paper as if hoping an answer would come from it. The Guardian has been summoned. Those words echoed in his mind, reminding him that a major event in the game The Luminous Hero of Avandor is starting to unfold.

"Damn..." He rubbed his face, then stared at the ceiling with a blank look. "If this is really entering the game scenario, then it won't be long before other important events start happening."

"Guardian, in the game the attitude and nature depend on how one develops it, whether the character has his own thoughts or someone manages him behind the scenes..." he muttered as he placed the letter on the table.

The Servant Guild had completed its investigation into the flow of illicit funds, but that was only the beginning. If the Guardian really started to make a move, then there would be a lot of changes in the plans he had to make. He sighed heavily. "I have to act before things get worse."

Lucian stared at the letter that was now tightly grasped in his hand. His mind swirled rapidly, trying to find a gap in this ever-evolving situation.

Lucian looked back at the bird that was currently perched on his desk. He stared at it intently and then quickly grabbed a piece of paper and searched for a pen to reply to the letter from the Servent guild.

"Thanks for letting me know, I'm also looking forward to playing chess with you. And also, if you get any info about the Guardian, let me know right away. I'll be waiting for all the info from you.

Signed, Lucian Hale."

After making sure the message was clear enough, Lucian rolled up the paper, slipped it into a small tube at the messenger's leg, and then let it fly back to the sender. He sighed softly, leaning his back against the chair, his fingers tapping on the table at a slow rhythm. "Now it's just a matter of waiting for a report from them..."

The Luminous Hero of Avandor game scenario does involve summoning the Guardian at the beginning of the story and the main problem faced by the guardian is the case about the illegal flow of imperial funds. But Lucian had already taken this step before the story even began, would everything go according to what he knew? Lucian turned his gaze out the window, staring at the scorching sky that was slowly dimming.

"Alright," he muttered, the corners of his lips curled into a faint smile. "Let's see what the game is like now."