Chapter 170: Mission Unveiled
Albert felt deeply embarrassed, and perhaps the worst thought racing through his mind at that moment was the possibility that Lady Amelia had begun to view him as weak and incapable of doing anything right. After all, what if she came to believe he was merely a useless child? And if he truly appeared weak in her eyes, wouldn’t her respect for him diminish? These small anxieties—which might seem absurd to an adult—felt to Albert in that exact instant like a matter of life and death.
He felt as though he had ruined everything.
He had simply wanted to share some of his ice cream with her, trying to be kind to her in his own way. Yet he had ended up pinned against the wall in a pathetic display, his clothes smeared with ice cream remnants while the large spoon lodged right across his face.
He was on the verge of launching into a whole newspaper’s worth of excuses—he might have needed an entire volume just to explain in detail how this minor catastrophe had transpired—yet a single thing halted all his thoughts right in their tracks.
"Hahaha... Albert, were you trying to give me that spoon of ice cream? How silly of you!"
Albert’s thoughts ground to a halt.
The young boy of a mere few years didn’t know how it happened, but when he raised his eyes and took in Amelia’s smile, he felt something entirely bizarre.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
His heart was pounding violently inside his tiny chest, as though someone had seized it and begun battering it from within.
Albert knew this feeling—or rather, he had felt it acutely before—yet he had no idea how to describe it, nor could he fathom why the mere sight of Amelia’s smile was capable of throwing his body into such strange chaos.
His face flushed slightly, and a foolish smile broke across his face—one he couldn’t stop even if he tried.
As for Amelia, she looked at him while fighting with all her might not to laugh more than she should. She had no desire to crush his spirits or make him feel bad after his childish attempt to help her, but the way Albert sat up while attempting to pretend nothing had happened was far more than she could resist.
He sat up extremely straight, looking as if he hadn’t slammed into the wall seconds ago, before grabbing napkins to wipe his face and clothes with exaggerated seriousness, striving to preserve whatever scrap of dignity he had left.
It was utterly hilarious.
Especially when she saw him acting as though falling in such a manner had been part of a brilliant, master plan that no one understood but him.
When his eyes met hers and he caught her smile, Albert felt even more embarrassed, yet at the same time, something warm seeped into his heart.
Amelia wasn’t truly laughing at him.
She was happy because of his attempt.
And that alone was more than enough for him.
A few moments later, Amelia noticed a small smudge of ice cream that Albert had failed to wipe completely, stuck near his earlobe. Smiling gently, she retrieved a napkin, leaned her small body toward him, extended her hand, and carefully wiped the smudge away.
Albert froze in place.
He was close enough to feel the warmth of her tiny hand, and suddenly had no idea where he ought to look.
As Amelia wiped the remaining ice cream off his face and clothes, she spoke simply:
"Well, it doesn’t matter... Clothes can always be cleaned."
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
Albert’s heart pounded even harder than before.
Simultaneously, the draconic blood coursing through his veins began responding to those intense emotions, driving him to feel that his true nature was on the verge of being exposed.
Energy began gathering instinctively within his body, as though something primal and deep within his bloodline had suddenly awakened.
He was right on the brink of transforming.
Albert felt it with crystal clarity.
Yet almost at that exact second, he clenched every muscle in his body, striving to suppress that instinctual response before matters spiraled into a genuine disaster.
It was brutally difficult.
So difficult that maintaining his human form felt far more exhausting than any training he had ever undergone.
Nevertheless, he ultimately managed to regain control over himself.
Once Amelia finished cleaning his face, she stepped back slightly, leaving Albert attempting to soothe his heart, which acted as though it wanted to shatter his ribcage and burst out.
Time passed after that with strange speed, as it always does during happy moments; the seconds we wish would freeze pass by as if fully aware we desire the exact opposite.
Ultimately, the friends resolved to part ways directly in front of the ice cream shop.
Everyone exchanged warm farewells, each preparing to head back home along the paths they had come from. Yet before fully separating, they began discussing their next adventure, as though the ice cream shop had been merely the beginning, and the upcoming trip ought to be far more thrilling than simply sitting around a table eating sweets.
After the four who had arrived from different directions departed, Albert and Amelia were left alone.
The two began walking side-by-side down the path leading to the palace. Albert walked in silence, his mind still anchored in that strange sensation that had shaken his soul a short while ago.
He didn’t know what had happened to him exactly.
He didn’t know why a simple smile from Amelia was capable of making him lose control over his heartbeat, nor why he felt those brief moments had left a far greater impact than they should have.
Amelia, however, was not occupied with what had happened to Albert to the same extent.
Her mind was anchored on something completely different.
That screen.
Ever since it materialized before her, the default interface floating in her field of vision had not shifted even slightly. The bizarre words remained static before her eyes, as if awaiting her to do something.
Amelia didn’t know what she was supposed to do.
She had attempted a short while ago to use her magical energy and sensing techniques to uncover the nature of that strange entity, yet she had reached no logical conclusion. Worse still, it was no fleeting hallucination, for she could see the screen with absolute clarity and feel its presence in a way her mind couldn’t ignore.
Numerous questions swirled inside her head.
Who reinitialized the System?
Why did it appear now?
And why did this specific mission appear?
After a few moments of hesitation, she finally resolved to test the matter herself.
She looked at the screen, asking in a low voice:
"Alright... What is this mission?"
In the very next instant, the screen shifted.
Fresh words materialized before her eyes, clear and static, as Amelia began reading their contents with sharp focus:
[Daily Sign-in Mission]
Depart alongside your daughter, Amelia, upon a journey to the "Spire of the Absolute Star" residing within the Celestial Continent entirely by yourselves.
Undertake her training and oversee the tempering of her magical might until she successfully attains the 1-Star Level.
There, within the depths of the "Cave of the Grandest Heritage," execute the sign-in! Reward: [Celestial Revered Princess Crown] — (An item of the Celestial Level).
Amelia stared at the words for several seconds.
Then her eyes widened slightly.
"Huh... What is this?"