My System Doesn't Give Power

The entire estate looked even larger from the inside.

The grounds were immaculately maintained, with stone pathways running through neatly trimmed vegetation, while an enormous mansion stood quietly at the center.

When Zac approached the entrance, an elderly maid appeared before him almost immediately and looked at him curiously. "Young man, what brings you here?"

"I came to meet Master Siegfried."

"Another one? There’s already a young man waiting inside."

Zac sighed inwardly. "That must be the one the guards accidentally let in."

[So we’re getting a bonus character. Let’s just hope he’s a good one.]

"I don’t know anything about him, ma’am. I was told to come here today with this." Zac took out the card Armani had given him and presented it to the maid.

She accepted it and sensed the mana imprint within. A gentle smile appeared on her face as she looked back at him. "No need to call me, ma’am. I’m merely a maid. Come with me."

With that, she led Zac through the mansion and into a spacious waiting room. Zac immediately noticed a young man seated on one of the couches.

He was dressed in extravagant, almost royal-looking attire, and his expression carried both arrogance and unmistakable irritation.

"So much for your hope."

The moment he saw the maid return, he stood up. "I’ve been waiting for almost two hours, and no one has come to explain anything to me. What exactly is going on?"

His gaze then shifted toward Zac, who stood beside her, and his expression grew even more displeased. "And who is this hillbilly?"

Zac instinctively glanced down at himself. "Do hillbillies really dress like this nowadays?"

The young man looked at him with open disdain. "Even people like this are being allowed to meet Master Siegfried now?"

Zac showed no reaction to the insult; the maid also remained equally unperturbed as she addressed the young man calmly. "Master Siegfried is occupied with important matters. You will be informed when he becomes available."

Without waiting for another complaint, she turned and left the room.

Zac sat down in silence opposite the young man.

"Hey!" The young man called out, but Zac was already occupied with his VSB, browsing for information about Siegfried.

The young man frowned. "I’m talking to you!"

Zac slowly looked up. "Me?"

"Do you see anyone else here?"

Zac glanced around the empty room. "Oh. So you really were talking to me?" With that, he lowered his gaze back to his VSB.

The young man’s expression twisted. "Are you ignoring me? Do you even know who I am?"

[Judging by his current demeanor, I think he’s desperately hoping you’ll ask.]

"You do know I’m trying very hard not to get angry, right?"

The young man leaned forward slightly.

"Don’t think you’ll actually get Master Siegfried to accept your commission. Someone of your stature probably couldn’t even afford the raw materials he would demand."

Zac still gave no response.

The young man’s irritation became increasingly visible. "If this weren’t Master Siegfried’s home, I would’ve already trampled you into the ground."

He glared at Zac. "Let’s see how long you can maintain that composure." With that, he finally went silent.

Just then, the waiting room door opened. But instead of the elderly man Zac had expected, a little girl stepped into the doorway.

She wore a cute outfit, though a noticeable nervousness lingered across her expression. The elderly maid followed closely behind her.

[I don’t think that’s the blacksmith you were expecting.]

"I sincerely hope not."

The little girl slowly approached them with hesitant steps, her fingers nervously clutching the hem of her skirt.

"Hello, gentlemen. My name is..."

"Enough with the yapping." The young man cut her off without even looking at her properly. "I didn’t come all this way to listen to some little girl introduce herself."

The girl flinched at his harsh tone. Her shoulders drew inward as she immediately glanced toward the elderly maid standing behind her.

Irritation written across his face, the young man pointed toward the maid. "You. Where is Master Siegfried? I’ve already waited more than two hours out of respect for who that man once was, but my patience has its limits."

[So does mine. What do you say? Let’s just kill him.]

"Calm down. He’s not worth it."

The young man raised his chin. "Do you even know who I am?"

[Here it comes. The ceremonial introduction of the arrogant young master.]

"I am Mane. Mane Keaton."

[Bond. James Bond.]

"I have no idea who that is, but somehow it already sounds better than Mane Keaton."

The young man continued proudly, "The next head of the Keaton family."

The maid, the little girl, and even Zac simply stared at him without any discernible reaction. Seeing their complete lack of awe, Mane’s expression twisted further.

The maid then ignored him entirely and turned toward Zac. "Are you the young man from New Dawn Academy?"

Zac nodded.

She gestured toward the hallway and said, "Please follow us."

Mane froze in surprise. "Hey! I’m talking to you! Are you deaf? I just told you who I am!"

The maid stopped and turned back.

Mane pointed angrily at Zac. "And what the fuck is this? Why are you taking some low-class commoner inside while making me wait?"

[Congratulations. You’ve been promoted from hillbilly to low-class commoner.]

"Does someone like him even have the qualifications to stand before Master Siegfried?"

Zac remained silent, mildly curious to see how the maid would respond.

The elderly woman finally spoke. "One thing you said is true."

Mane’s expression immediately turned smug.

"I have absolutely no idea what this little Keaton family of yours is."

His smile vanished.

"But I do know Master Siegfried. And if he learns that you frightened our young miss by shouting in front of her and used such language in her presence, I would be far less concerned about you and considerably more concerned about that precious family you keep mentioning."

Mane stared at her in disbelief.

"You dare threaten me? The heir to the Keaton family? You senile old bitch! Do you have any idea what the Keaton family can..."

"Guards."

The maid barely raised her voice; immediately, several figures appeared around them almost instantly.

Zac’s eyes sharpened. "Where do they come from?"

[You need to sharpen your senses; they were here the entire time.]

Zac sensed that every one of the guards carried a dense and formidable presence.

The maid looked toward them. "Remove this person from the compound."

"What?! Take your hands off me!" Two guards seized Mane and began dragging him out of the room.

"Do you bastards know who you’re touching? My father will definitely hear about this!"

[There it is. The daddy card.]

"My entire family will hear about this!"

[Daddy wasn’t enough, apparently. What’s next? The ancestors.]

"I’ll report every one of you to the Variant Association!"

[Perfect. He is going to die from paperwork.]

"I’ll bring this entire compound down!"

Even after his figure disappeared from sight, Mane’s voice continued echoing through the hallway. "This isn’t over! You’ll regret humiliating Mane Keaton! I’ll make every single one of you pay!"

[Someone please tell him he’s already out.]

Zac rubbed his forehead. "What has gotten into you?"

[I just hate this arrogant young-master persona.]

"Who wouldn’t?"

Zac then looked toward the maid and gave a faint smile. "Such an energetic guy."

The maid sighed. "Please ignore him. People like that often come here hoping to meet Master Siegfried."

She offered a small smile before continuing down the hallway.

The deeper they ventured into the mansion, the more its true scale became apparent. But despite the opulence surrounding him, Zac’s attention soon drifted elsewhere.

The little girl kept glancing at him in quick, furtive peeks.

"You know, I didn’t catch what you were trying to say earlier because of all the commotion that guy caused."

The girl immediately froze and looked at him nervously.

Zac gave her a small smile. "So, what’s your name?"

Her face instantly reddened, and she hurried behind the elderly maid and hid herself.

The maid laughed softly. "Young miss, you shouldn’t hide when someone politely asks you a question. Go on. He asked for your name."

After a few seconds, the girl slowly stepped out from behind her, her fingers still clutching the edge of her skirt.

"M-My name is Shaira Siegfried, and I’m eight years old. Welcome to the Siegfried compound." The moment she finished, she immediately retreated behind the maid again.

Zac couldn’t help smiling. "That’s ridiculously cute."

As they continued walking, Zac occasionally noticed Shaira timidly peeking at him. "Why can’t my sister be this cute?"

[Oh, she is. It’s just that all her cuteness is buried beneath the endless trouble she causes you.]

Zac thought about it, and memories of his sister immediately surfaced in his mind. "Yeah. That’s probably true."

As they proceeded deeper into the mansion, they eventually reached an elevator. The three stepped inside, and a few seconds later, it began moving. "We’re going down."

When the doors finally opened, a wave of intense heat slammed directly into Zac’s face. Shaira and the elderly maid stepped out, and Zac followed them.

The underground chamber was enormous, even larger than the mansion above it.

The lighting was dim, and an assortment of tools lay scattered everywhere. Chunks of metal, unfinished equipment, broken molds, and various materials covered the tables and even parts of the floor.

Zac’s eyes wandered curiously across everything and noticed a crude-looking dagger lying carelessly among a pile of discarded equipment.

When he picked it up, information appeared on the system panel.

Name: Unnamed

Type: Crude Dagger

Rank: C-

Status: Incomplete

Zac stared at it in astonishment. "Even an incomplete dagger is C-rank? Just what level has this Siegfried guy reached?"

As they walked farther, the heat became increasingly oppressive.

[It’s like an oven in here.]

"You don’t even have a body."

[That doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate the surroundings.]

Shaira and the maid eventually stopped. Zac followed their gaze and saw a massive furnace ahead, flames roaring fiercely within it.

Standing before the furnace was an enormous old man. His back was turned toward them as he worked, adjusting something within the flames.

"Grandpa? "All of Shaira’s earlier nervousness was nowhere to be seen now. "I brought the person you asked for."

The old man immediately turned around, and Zac finally saw him properly.

He was enormous, with broad shoulders, thick arms, a massive red moustache, an equally formidable red beard, and wild red hair that made him appear even larger than he already was.

The moment he saw Shaira, however, his imposing presence disappeared beneath a wide smile. He walked over and gently ruffled her hair.

"Good girl. Now go and play with Mary."

"Really? Thank you, Grandpa." Shaira stood on her toes and planted a quick kiss on his rough cheek before happily running off with the maid named Mary.

Zac watched them disappear before turning back toward Siegfried.

The old man was now glaring at him with an expression completely opposite to the one he had shown Shaira.

"Who are you?"