Five Years Old

Soon Raz's life returned to normal except for the daily class and tutoring sessions he received mainly from his father, with Ed substituting whenever his father was unavailable.

His mother would often show up with a handmade lunch that she personally attended to throughout the class, which would bring smiles and joy to all who ate it as the meal was truly delicious and gourmet.

Very rarely, when William and Ed were unavailable, his mother often brought him to the kitchen to watch her cook food and spoonfeed him.

This was a unique experience as in his previous life. He had only ever cooked barely edible food to satiate himself and his hunger.

His life and schedule usually consisted of cultivating the Immotus technique, eating a splurge of food, walking around the manor, reading books in William's study, a lesson or tutoring lesson, and then repeating the same thing the next day.

Four years passed in the blink of an eye.

A child full of energy and intelligence roamed the halls as his one hazel and one gray eye twinkled. His brunette hair had natural curls with the occasional splash of red that appeared throughout his well-maintained mane of hair.

Raz, now five years old, could comfortably run throughout the manor's halls with only a distant guard that would be there for his protection from any unwelcomed strangers. Still, after years of watching him explore without incident, his parents mostly trusted him to be safe within the mansion.

It also helped that physically, he was more akin to a seven or eight-year-old rather than a five-year-old due to his accelerated development from his cultivation of the Immotus technique.

Being older, Raz could now reveal a broader vocabulary and complex sentences that his parents had gotten used to, along with the other servants he saw regularly.

His theoretical knowledge of the continent, Iron Moon Kingdom, and magic had grown considerably. Although he still hadn't gotten a lot of hands-on experience, his parents only let him explore Levir and the manor while his magic circuits hadn't fully developed yet to start using magic.

Even though his father constantly reminded him that his magic circuits would soon be fully developed for him to start learning magic in an anticipating and giddy voice.

He also learned that his magic circuits fully developing would be apparent to him as it would suddenly feel like something he had been missing all his life had reappeared.

Sitting cross-legged inside his newly furnished bed that had been moved in a year or two ago to replace his crib, Raz breathed a sigh as a week or so ago, he had been notified of an event that he and his family had to attend which required him to wake up early.

Apparently, every five years, the nobles residing in the Ite region hold a banquet where they meet and greet one another. It was usually a way for Barons and merchants who were brought by various nobles to secure more connections and friendships.

It was primarily useless for Viscounts as the deals and alliances made were beneath them. Still, Viscounts usually attended the banquet to save face and keep up friendly relations with the neighboring territories.

Marisa rapped the door ever so lightly before Raz loudly responded, "I'm awake!"

Opening the door so it lay slightly ajar, Marisa asked, "Are you ready for the banquet, Young Master? We must depart soon if we wish to make it to Viscount Malfe's mansion by sundown."

Hearing the name, Raz actively remembered what he knew about the man they were visiting.

Viscount Thomas Malfe was the only other Viscount in the Ite region and reigned as Lord of Leshe, a slightly older and more developed city than Levir.

The Malfe family was a newly established one that only gained their first noble two generations back and has since managed Leshe for three generations. They were one of the first nobles to rule the Ite region, and that made it so they had deep roots and connections in the area.

Even though his father was much more talented, having made the rank of middle-stage Fledgling Magus at the age of twenty-eight compared to Thomas Malfe, who achieved the rank at forty years old.

If the Alden family wanted a peaceful life in the Ite region, they still had to maintain a positive relationship with the Malfe family, which was why they had to make the trip.

The one held five years ago was the only exception, as Raz had been born the day before the supposed banquet.

Raz responded to Marisa's question, "I'm ready and dressed as well."

Sticking her head through the crack in the door, Marisa saw that Raz had his newly made suit for fancy occasions already on with his growing long hair slicked back.

By now, Raz's features had started to become more prominent with age, and it was plain to tell he would be a future lady killer and heartstopper as he inherited the best traits from both his parents.

"You really make my job easy, Young Master. Come down to the front door when you are ready. Your parents are waiting," Marisa imparted before she opened the door and walked out.

Raz sighed as he got out of bed and started to walk down as he thought, 'Public events really are a pain. Father told me not to let anyone know about my magic circuits and to try to make friends with the other children.'

He had no doubt that the children of Magus were most likely well educated and spoken for their age, but to him, they were all children while he still thought of himself as an adult due to his reincarnations.

Soon he made it to the front courtyard, which was bustling with activity as a series of maids and butlers packed supplies onto a supply carriage as the rest of them lined up to send off their masters.

Meanwhile, Ed sat on a horse in his black armor with his greatsword as he commanded two squads of knights that all sat on their own horses, ready to depart at any time.

Before he could see anything else, Fay ambushed Raz by picking him up and hugging him tightly while smothering him in kisses.

She praised, "Oh, my little angel! Look at you in your cute new suit!"

Seeing his son being hugged to death, William coughed slightly as he gestured towards the main carriage, which looked like the carriage Raymond had ridden four years ago, with the exception of the metal being more white in color rather than the obsidian black Raymond had.

Fay nodded as she hollered, "Off to the banquet!"

Instead of letting go of Raz like William thought would happen, she continued to hug him as she waddled over to the carriage and stepped in, still suffocating him in a hug.

William could only laugh as he stepped into the carriage before closing the door.

The dozens of maids and butlers bowed as they shouted, "Be safe, Milord, Milady, and Young Master!"

Ed, who sat at the front of one squadron of knights that led the front while the other squadron would follow the carriage, yelled, "Onwards, men!"