At the break of dawn, the sun's rays seemed to shine brightly over the gloom and stern walls of Kelsein as a carriage exited the first gate.

The carriage was of significantly high quality, possessing different types of decoration and even the ability to function without a horse, meaning it was a magical carriage.

A figure could be seen outside the carriage, properly controlling it using a unique wheel that seemed to determine the direction the carriage was headed towards. Inside the carriage, five figures were sitting in awkward silence.

Four of these figures seemed to be looking towards the fifth, who was just looking at the window in displeasure.

The figure was that of a young teenage boy with long brown hair, a handsome yet delicate face, and bright green eyes that seemed to shine like lanterns.

Turning his head towards the crowd, the boy spoke in irritation.

"Could you stop looking at me like that? It's just the third-rank apprentice stage! Sorry I hid my magic talent, okay? Can't we just go home and not talk about it… All your staring is sending shivers down my spine."

His voice fell on deaf ears, however, as a man with a bushy beard and long brown hair grabbed his shoulders and reprimanded him.

"YOU BRAT, IF YOU TOLD ME EARLIER THAT YOU LIKED MAGIC, DO YOU THINK I WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN ABLE TO FIND A GOOD TEACHER FOR YOU? I THOUGHT YOU WERE ONLY INTERESTED IN MUSIC AND HAD NO LUCK AWAKENING YOUR ASPECT, BUT HERE YOU ARE, SHOWING OFF TO YOUR OLD MAN!!"

The man shouted, making everyone inside and outside the carriage cover their ears. He was too overexcited, even though this wasn't the first time he said those words. His amber eyes seemed to be shining like lanterns inside the carriage.

These two figures were, of course, William and his father, Malcolm Don Virtu. As for the other four figures? The three inside the carriage were Adam, Rose, and their mother, Leona.

Leona had long brown hair and bright green eyes, making it evident that William and Rose had gotten their eye color from her. Although she already had a few wrinkles on her face, one could easily see that she was a beauty when she was younger.

The sixth figure standing outside was their house's head butler, Manuel Lynn. Manuel was a war veteran who had endured countless hardships, so he took great care of the house and swore loyalty to Baronet Malcolm. In fact, even though Malcolm was supposed to teach Adam swordsmanship, he was often too busy with work, so Manuel taught him.

Manuel was one of the two servants that weren't killed, the other being a shrewd woman named Yolanda, who without a doubt betrayed their family. Baronet Malcolm was already looking for her whereabouts…

After his parents were freed, they spent some time learning the situation before heading over to Kelsein directly once they got the news that their children were there. They were extremely relieved that they were fine.

William was in distress, not knowing how to handle his family. He had survived without them and had long forgotten how he had interacted with them, making things extremely uncomfortable for him. He could only act in the same childish way he remembered, but he knew it wouldn't last long since his old soul would undoubtedly affect his personality.

After all, he was pretty eccentric.

Although he knew that he would be asked about his magic, he seriously didn't have any excuses, and even if he did, what was the point. His thoughts on this matter were simple; power meant he could handle things much easier, but he went overboard too early.

William couldn't help but sigh at his predicament, but still, he felt extremely pleased at how well things were going. More than a week had passed since his meeting with Trader Bill and the Emperor.

Although he had not yet recovered from the after-effects of the spell, his aura training had helped him combat most of the strain of his mana fatigue. His mana channels were strained, and mana was constantly leaked out. He estimated it would take him two more weeks to recover to a state where he could continue his advancement as a mage.

William communicated with Adam about what was going on afterward and dug out anything Adam was hiding from him, finding that Adam had a lot of insecurities about his strength. Understanding where the problem lay, William decided to explain some things to him, though most of them were nothing but fakes. William had decided to create a fake story for such scenarios.

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He used the story to bring Adam's motivation back and, at the same time, made his future accomplishment a bit more plausible for him. The story was simple and stupid, but it did the job. Basically, William 'met' a mysterious old man who taught him magic for some time, also passing on a few of his spells before disappearing.

Even though his plans had deviated from their original course, he still completed many of his goals, even recruiting a few of his previous subordinates.

Eddie Kelley, the great thief, was just one of those. Eddie was critical since not only was he highly loyal, but William had already solved his most prominent issue, which was the finding of his younger sister.

Eddie had become a great thief due to his unique aspect, [Umbra Walker], which allowed him to blend in with any shadows and become entirely undetectable. This was why he could obtain the treasure map from the royal treasury, but William knew that something bigger was at hand since the emperor wouldn't allow such a thing to be stolen so easily.

Eddie was currently inside William's shadow. His aspect was quite influential in escaping the sight of Malcolm, making him a great thief.

This didn't mean that the aspect made him a thief by default. He had only gone down this path due to his horrible upbringing, losing his sister to slave merchants. Thankfully, William knew his sister's location and used his connections to bring her to safety. She lived in a secretive location protected by Pandora so Eddie could follow his master.

Since William made him sign a soul contract, as long as he kept his sister safe, Eddie would be his servant. Although this might sound cruel, William didn't think so since Eddie wasn't just a servant but a great friend, and William would never abuse the functions of a soul contract.

Eddie was twelve years old at the moment. In the previous timeline, Eddie would only find his sister when the world was under siege by the demons, making their reunion more than tragic. Surprisingly, her capturer was a low-born noble who had become a demonic slave, so William directly executed him on the spot, making sure to inform the local authorities of this matter.

The other subordinates he managed to recruit were still children who had yet to awaken their aspect, so William didn't take them along but got Pandora to assist them in anything they needed.

Their names were Jerome Holmes, Oscar Medina, and Eugene Miller.

Jerome was William's personal butler, and William couldn't wait to have him back. Jerome was a pretty boy with extremely sharp eyes and short brown hair. He was a perfectionist who took things extremely seriously and was a deadly assassin to back it up, although, at the moment, he was nothing but a street thug. He was the one who had trained Alex, who later took his position in the Bastion.

Oscar Medina was William's shield, a person who took strength as the most important thing. He could fight four men of similar strength and win due to his keen instincts in combat. Even though he had a messy personality and liked alcohol, he was someone who did his job extremely seriously, to the point of abstaining from any distraction while performing his task, be it women, alcohol, or even supernatural factors. This was due to his aspect [Iron Dog].

Even though many might laugh at the name of his aspect, they couldn't be anything but fools if they did so. This aspect allowed him to have senses ten times greater than his current stage, allowing him to do things commonly thought impossible and follow orders to the tee. The nickname people gave him was Hell Hound, thanks to his dog-like yet hellish appearance when using his aspect.

Eugene Miller was Williams's alchemist, who concocted countless potions that immensely helped humanity in the demon invasion. He was more than just brilliant; he had a great mind that could think outside the box, using otherwise thought-useless resources. His aspect, [Imperfect Copy], allowed him to form a copy of himself made out of plant fibers, but he functioned just like an average human.

Eugene would use this aspect to test his potions and alchemy experiments, making it easier for him to go through the trial period, as he knew exactly what would happen to one's body from the connection he felt with the copy.

Although his father was still ranting about his behavior, he didn't know what to say. As the carriage continued, William's thoughts drifted to his other subordinates that he had yet to recruit.

Floyd Byers was a talented young man with the aspect of [Spectral Illusionist], which allowed him to create illusions so realistically that they could harm someone. He had been a street performer, using his aspect to entertain crowds, later on using it to fight against hordes of demonic apparitions, until William found him and recruited him.

Then there was Jeffrey Luna, a skilled fighter with the aspect of [Gravity Manipulator], which allowed him to control gravity around him. He had been a mercenary who had lost his job due to an injury. During the demonic invasion, he had become an incredible menace to the demons, as he alone guarded a fortress for seven days and seven nights, making him one of the few people still talked about even when the Bastion was built.

He had sacrificed his life so his lord, William, could survive and find hope for the survivors to escape the hell on earth Roia had become.

Lastly, there was Lottie Nolan, a quiet and reserved girl with the aspect of [Life Weaver], which allowed her to manipulate life force and heal injuries. She had been a student at a prestigious mage academy, studying to become a healer, when she was expelled for breaking one of the school's strict rules.

William had found her alone and desperate and offered her a new purpose. The rule she had broken didn't mean anything to him since it only concerned her revenge, which he didn't mind.

Suddenly, the carriage jolted to a stop, causing everyone inside to jostle. William quickly opened the window and stuck his head out, only to see a group of people blocking the road. They seemed to be a group of armed men wearing masks, and they had barricaded the path, making it impossible for the carriage to pass through.