18. Leaving The Castle.

The next morning, Orion stood in front of a dressing mirror in Evelyn's bedroom as he got dressed for his mana core awakening ceremony.

He stared at his hands which had grown bigger compared to yesterday.

'My appearance right now is similar to that of a five-year-old,' he uttered in his thoughts before raising his head to look at himself in the mirror.

His blonde hair had grown a bit thicker and longer as well, but my blue eyes remained the same, they were just like my mother's eyes.

While Orion was looking at himself in the mirror, he suddenly saw his Aunt appear behind him before kneeling down and resting her chin on his shoulder while hugging him from behind.

"What are you doing staring at the mirror for so long?" Elena asked while looking at his reflection in the mirror. "Are you still worried about how fast you're growing?"

Orion wasn't really worried about this.

His mind was made up, which is why he hoped to awaken two aspects of his mana core today so that his body will begin to grow like a normal elf starting from today.

"Not really. Since I know the same thing happened to you and Mum, I'm not as worried as I was yesterday." he replied.

"Oh, really?"

"Yep."

"But you still miss the way you looked like yesterday, right?"

"Yes, I do. But since there's nothing I can do about it, I'm just going to have to focus on awakening my mana core."

Hearing Orion's words, a smile spread across Elena's face as she said. "You're being a lot more mature about the changes occurring in your body than I was expecting you to be."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"Nope, it isn't. Instead, I think it's cute to see my little nephew growing up and acting like an adult," Elena smiled and kissed Orion on his cheeks.

"Now, turn around and let me straighten up your clothes."

Orion turned around and allowed his aunt to tidy up his appearance.

He was wearing a regal, emerald green tunic with a high collar, the sleeveless tunic was designed to accentuate his little physique.

"All done."

"Thanks, Auntie," Orion thanked his Aunt before spreading his arms wide as he asked. "So, how do I look?"

"Like the most handsome elf prince ever."

Hearing this, Orion smiled and Elena smiled in return before kissing his forehead. Then, she stood up to get dressed.

The moment she was done, she noticed Orion staring at the mirror again but this time around, he seemed to be lost in his thoughts

"Are you worried about today?"

"A little."

"Don't worry, dear. Today will turn out to be a great day, just trust in yourself and everything we've taught you, Okay?"

"Okay."

"Good, now let's get going, remember we have a royal banquet held specifically for you later today," Elena beamed before gently grabbing hold of Orion's little hand.

"Okay Auntie," Orion held his aunt's hand and both of them walked out of Evelyn's bedroom.

Although Orion didn't lie about being worried with regards to him forming a mana core, it wasn't the reason why he was staring at the mirror, seemingly lost in thought.

The reason was that he had just received a new tier of missions for him to complete.

[A list of Four Tier-Two Missions is now available for the host.]

[First Mission:- Mana Core.]

[As you take the first step towards having a fun and thrilling life as an elf, you must form a mana core which would make your day-to-day activities a lot easier.]

[Second Mission:- Summon.]

[As an elf, it is expected to have an elemental by your side or a spirit guardian. Low to mid-talented elves summon elementals while highly-talented elves summon spirits. Summon yours to discover what range of talent you possess.]

[Third Mission:- Friend.]

[As a prince attending a royal banquet specifically for you, you'll meet various elf nobles from across the kingdom and their children. The goal is to make friends with someone, it doesn't matter if he or she is a noble or a maid.]

[Fourth Mission:- Harmony,]

[This is your chance to awaken two aspects of your mana core. Once two aspects of your mana core has been awoken, both your physical and mental development will slow down and follow the normal growth pattern of a forest elf.]

Orion smiled once again as he recalled the new tiers of mission the system had given him.

Out of all the four quests, he was extremely excited about the fourth quests because he really wanted to live and grow just as how an elf should.

Upon walking out of his mother's bedroom, Orion's eyes fell on two guards standing in front of her bedroom.

"Your Highness."

The two guards immediately bowed before Orion and Elena the moment they saw them walking out of the room.

One would expect the guards to be elves since they were currently in the elven kingdom, however, that wasn't the case with the guards bowing in front of them.

The two male guards were tall, muscular, and imposing green-skinned orcs with razor-sharp teeth.

They held massive weapons and shields that were used to protect the royal family.

Elena acknowledged their presence and walked with Orion along the extended corridor with the guards trailing behind them.

Orion wasn't really surprised seeing the orcs in the castle because yesterday, Elena had told him a bit about the elven kingdom's past and how the orcs had always fought against the elven race even before the war began.

It was Evelyn and Elena who single-handedly fought against the orc general's army and won.

In the end, the orc general yielded and the orc tribe has been serving the royal family and the kingdom ever since.

While walking along the corridor with Elena, Orion could feel the eyes of the orc guards behind him but he sensed no malicious intent coming from them because if they had one, they'd probably be dead by now with their heads chopped off by Elena's sword.

Instead, he could sense how curious they were about him, knowing that he was currently the son of the strongest elf queen in the world.

'I'm certain that if Auntie wasn't here with me, they'd probably try their best to talk to me.'

'With the way they're acting, they seem to see me as some kind of celebrity.'

'It's not that I mind the way they're curious about me, but it's just that…' Orion paused in his thoughts as he swallowed his saliva in a loud gulp.

'... These two orcs aren't the only ones staring at me right now.'

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A/N:- Your power stones will really go a long way in supporting this novel.