For the time being, I put aside all my shock for now. Mother is really wanting to spoil me, even beyond her grave. I really wish I had a chance to get to know her. Even her image is already fading. I only had a single day to see Aurora before she passed during childbirth. But I knew not to dwell on the past. I will accept what Mother has given me, and honor her name.
It won't happen immediately, but one day, I might become Naoto von Auslese.
I know I'll have to review these items later. Especially this custom Combat Orbment. I can't wait to do it. But for now I let these thoughts settle, allowing my eyes to wander back toward the bottom half of the box. I reached in, and grabbed a hold of the smallest of the three robes. To my surprise, it suited my current stature almost to a tee.
"I'm guessing you want me to put this robe on now before we go see His Imperial Majesty?", I asked Giliath and Kasia.
"Yes. Kasia thinks you might struggle trying to put it on for the first time. Why don't you go with her to try it on?", Giliath suggested. Kasia giggled.
"Fufu, you don't know how long I've been waiting for this day, Naoto. I'll make you the best noble yet!", Kasia happily replied, and began to pull on me without even taking no for an answer. I simply turned my head toward Giliath.
"Uhh, is mom always like this?", I asked Giliath. He just shrugged his shoulders.
"Only the Goddess Aidios knows the answer to that, son.", Giliath replied, trying to dodge my question. I just blinked at him in disbelief. He simply allowed Kasia to do what she wanted to do. Instead Giliath turned his head toward Rean. "Rean, why don't we go wrap up breakfast and wait for your brother to change his outfit?"
"Okay!", Rean happily replied. The two proceeded to ignore my question, causing me to sigh. I let Mother drag me into one of the nearby empty rooms. We have a couple of guest rooms, which included a walk-in changing room should we ever have guests.
Once Kasia closed the door shut, Giliath and Rean were left to finish up breakfast. It didn't take long for the sound of ruffling clothes to echo around the first floor. From there, a few moments passed, ending the morning altogether. It was more around noon on March 3rd now.
A handsome and dashing young lad who was just a little over three years old walked out of the room once the door opened back up. His short violet hair and golden eyes could be seen, full of confidence. His mother Kasia helped change his clothes, and his simple outfit from earlier now acted as undergarments. Naoto felt his body a bit stiff while walking around. It was very shiny, almost as if it was brand new. Kasia clapped her hands together, happy to see my new outfit.
"Oh my, you really are starting to look like a dashing young boy, Naoto. As your mother, I couldn't be happier!", Kasia said. "I am sure you'll be able to impress those nobles with this. First appearance is everything to them."
"I'll agree on that point Kasia my dear. First impressions mean a lot. And who you connect with will also determine your place in those inner circles.", Giliath replied, nodding his head. I saw Rean's eyes begin to sparkle in excitement too.
"You look really cool, Brother!", Rean happily exclaimed.
"Heh. It's a little stuffy wearing this. It's something I'll need to get used to.", I said, feeling the stiffness of the robe. It's been in there for a few years, likely. I'm sure Kasia would hand wash it every so often, but new clothes always have that certain feel to it. Giliath laughed hearing me say that.
"Haha! That feeling you have is just the beginning of the path you will lead into the future, Naoto my boy.", Giliath responded in approval after he took a moment to observe my current appearance. "And not a wrinkle out of place. You did well, Kasia. His Imperial Majesty is bound to be pleased by this."
They'd even remark on a single wrinkle on your clothes? Talk about being vicious.
"Thank you dear.", Kasia said.
This Phoenix Robe was basically brand new and unused. If I had any comparison to give, I looked like a miniature Rufus Albarea. It's more toward the outfit Jusis Albarea, his younger brother, wore after the October War. Which by the way, is the official name for the civil war that will take place in the first half of the Cold Steel games. Slick white pants, military-style white shirt with several buttons down its center. A belt latched across its side, but it was violet instead of tan. Jusis's overcoat that he wore in Cold Steel II was green, but this one was fiery red. I even had a blazer around my neck now. I'd have my Rapier equipped, but I was still too young to carry it around. And to top this new look off, the crest of a phoenix bird could be seen stitched on the robe. It looked quite overbearing.
I think you can imagine something like that with Jusis as a basis, no? Most nobles wear similar-styled clothes in this fashion. It really makes them sharp compared to a normal commoner you'd come across. I started to feel a sense of pride swell within me. I'm curious, was Mother like this when she was still alive?
Either way, I definitely looked like a Noble now, despite this mixed blood running through me. Seriously, this blood is quite cursed. I even have Reise in my name, albeit how thin it likely is now. But there once was a time where Duke Phoenix served under the Imperial Family. I'll need to learn more of that history, and I'm guessing that the book I received earlier will give me the answers to that. I saw Giliath nod his head in acknowledgement.
"It won't be long now until you can wear the insignia of the Phoenix with pride, my son. I'm sure if Lady Aurora was still standing with us, she would be happy too.", Giliath said, showing a hint of reminiscence in his eyes. "And I will ask you now, are you ready to depart for the capital?"
Hearing that, I paused. I was quick to shake my head no.
"Not exactly. There's enough time to change out of this and do my daily training for the day, right? It should only be one or two hours at most. It shouldn't take all day.", I said.
"Hmm, fair enough. You really don't want to miss out on a single day of that, eh? Very well. We'll try to find room to continue your running. Kasia, you can help change Naoto's back, right?", Giliath asked.
"I can. Where you will be heading to can also cause quite a bit of stress, so perhaps doing some running will help your body deal with it. I'll help observe Naoto's running too.", Kasia replied, nodding her head in agreement.
"Perfect. I'll pass the time catching up on any missed news then. Rean you can play around.", Giliath said.
"Okay!", Rean said. Rean really was just going with the flow, wasn't he? Not like he can do much. He was still younger than me. He hadn't even turned two yet. He can only play around for so much before tiring out.
Since both Father and Mother approved me to continue my Daily Quest, I didn't remain idle. Kasia helped me change my look back to what I wore before, and I departed the villa, quickly making through my personal tracks. I already had a good layout of this forest. There wasn't any lingering smell of fire from the fight with Agnagarn either. There was this weird stillness in the air. The nearby animals that I would encounter likely fled, and it will take some time for them to return. Not that I minded that, though. Less distractions, the better.
It didn't take long for my Daily Quest to trigger its completion for the day. I was now 122/365 days complete, and my Available Points increased to 127. Turns out, I can't passively gain Available Points via Leveling Up, so completing Quests might be the only way to gain them.
Before I realized it, 2PM on Sunday, March 3rd came, and I ended today's running!