Chapter 1 - Returning Home

The end of a journey may lead to the beginning of another one.

...

Misord City, Sorrel Kingdom

The season of the earth was when trees and plants grew new leaves, ready for the next harvest. It was a crucial season for the Sorrel kingdom, which relied on its agriculture.

On both sides of the street, people quickened their paces walking about hurriedly to do their things. They dodged sideways when a luxurious carriage passed by; people who could travel so elegantly were mostly nobles or their relatives.

A figure sat in the carriage, resting and closing his deep blue eye. He had a lean figure with black hair tied into a single braid. The figure was wearing a simple long black cloak hiding most of his face under the hood.

'How long has it been since I last came back.' The man under the hood, Nathan Ashford, wondered while sensing the surrounding.

After traveling all over the continent, the Sorrel kingdom could no longer give the same awe to Nathan compared to decades ago.

There were many more prominent and more prosperous kingdoms and empires. There were also many more powerful mana users than this kingdom's guardians and nobles.

Nathan also understood more about the profession of mana user, the most distinguished discipline in the world. He received the support and resources he could never imagine in the past.

Thinking of that prosperous past, Nathan could not help but sigh helplessly. He thought to himself: 'It's all in the past. The current me cannot go back anymore.'

Although the Sorrel Kingdom might seem insignificant compared to other places Nathan had visited, it is still one memorable site for him. He had grown up here; all his dreams, aspirations, and goals started here.

While thinking to himself, the carriage arrived in front of a mansion belonging to the Ashford family, the baron family governing the Misord city.

"Master, we have arrived." The driver said respectfully before politely opening the carriage's door for Nathan.

The term 'master' mostly referred to the mana user; they were all someone to be respectful of for the commoners. The mana user can study the law and manipulate mana for various uses; not everyone can be a mana user.

The sound and movement interrupted Nathan's thoughts. He walked down the carriage while looking at the mansion; this reminded him of the past when he was still a child.

"Welcome back to the Ashford mansion, Master Nathan." An old butler came and attentively took Nathan into the mansion.

Nathan nodded slightly and followed in. Everything was still similar to what he had of the mansion in the memory; there was not much change.

์Nathan continued to follow until they reached the reception hall; he saw two figures there. Both had black hair and blue eyes, which were the signature of the Ashford family.

One was his uncle, Charlie Ashford, the old patriarch of the Ashford family. The other was his cousin, Edric Ashford, the family's current patriarch, who holds the baron status.

The dignified middle-aged man in luxury cloth, Charlie Ashford, came to hug Nathan and welcomed him into the hall to sit down. While the other young man, Edric Ashford, continued resting in his place, his eyes slightly indignant.

Charlie glanced at his son, dissatisfied, but he did not comment on anything.

Everything fell into Nathan's eyes. He smiled, thinking that everything was really still the same, even his uncle and cousin.

After some greeting, Nathan briefly explained his situation: "I have traveled to many places. Now I had improved and became a 4th-rank mana user."

Of course, this was a lied. After going through so much, how can Nathan stop there? However, telling the truth would only bring trouble to his family, and the 4th-rank mana user was enough.

The rank of mana users started from the lowest 1st rank to the highest 10th rank. The higher the rank, the harder it is to break through, and so is the increase in lifespan.

A person could be a knight under noble by being a 2nd-rank mana user. The strongest person in the Ashford family was the 3rd rank, the basic threshold for holding a baron title.

Charlie did not seem to care about Nathan's current rank but more about his well-being. He kept asking about Nathan's health, life, and situation while Nathan was traveling.

On the other hand, Edric kept quiet ever since he heard that Nathan had reached the 4th rank without the family's support.

Nathan smiled while answering Charlie's inquiries, completely ignoring the silent Edric. His uncle, Charlie, was the only remaining person he cared about in this Ashford family.

As the only brother of Nathan's mother, he took care of Nathan, who did not have a mother and father in place of his sister, as best as he could.

At that time, Nathan had also chosen to leave the Ashford family because of his uncle. He did not want to put his uncle into a problematic situation as he might threaten his cousin's patriarch and baron position.

His uncle might care a lot about him, but he cared even more about his only son, Edric. He just did not show it much on the surface and caused concern to his cousin.

The conversation lasted several hours. After finishing the conversation, Nathan prepared to stay for a night before leaving.

His cousin's expression was not very good, and he did not want to put his uncle in a difficult situation. Coming here and seeing the Ashford family again was enough for him.

...

The next day, seeing Nathan preparing to leave again, Charlie swallowed the word to hold him back. Those words did not work years ago and would not work again now.

Charlie took out the letter and gave it to Nathan. It was a letter from one of Nathan's friends from the Hale family. He also knew about the current situation of the Hale family, but it was hard for outsiders to intervene.

"Just do what you want. Remember, the Ashford family is always behind you." Charlie told Nathan seriously; he did not want Nathan to hesitate because of the family. He believed the Ashford family was not so weak that it would hold Nathan back.

Nathan thanked his uncle and felt warm in his heart. He opened the letter after leaving Misord city.

Nathan closed the letter when he finished reading the content; he decided to visit the Hale family.