With his head peaking outside the carriage, William could see everything.

William recognized the men immediately. They were a group of bandits who operated in the area. They were notorious for attacking carriages and robbing travelers. It seemed that they had targeted their carriage.

"Father, it's a group of bandits. They must have targeted us."

William said, his voice having no hint of panic whatsoever. He was the most knowledgeable here; these bandits stood no chance even against an Iron rank adventurer; they couldn't even harm a hair on them.

"Tch, bandits?"

Malcolm asked, gripping his sword, his figure disappearing from inside the carriage.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of them."

Malcolm said, his voice resounding from outside the carriage.

"Manuel, stay with the carriage and protect Leona and the kids."

Manuel nodded, his face expressionless, his sword drawn.

The bandits seemed surprised with the situation. They hadn't expected their victims to be so prepared. They hesitated momentarily, but one of them stepped forward, his sword raised.

"You rich folks are always carrying around such nice things," the bandit sneered. "Hand over your valuables, and we'll let you go."

Malcolm snorted.

"You must be joking. Do you think we'd just hand over our valuables to a bunch of thugs like you?"

The bandit growled and charged forward, his sword aimed at Malcolm's chest. Malcolm easily parried the attack and lightly waved his hand. Instantly, a wave of bright white aura formed on the tip of his sword as it gushed out and shot towards the unprepared bandits.

The bandits were skilled fighters, but they were no match for Malcolm. Malcolm was a grand knight with incredible power in the empire, designated as a knight squad leader. This meant that only ten other people in the empire had the same position as him.

The white blade swiftly killed all the bandits in just a single strike, not even creating a large scene. The blood that came out of their wounds was not a lot, signifying that Malcolm had struck all of their vitals with just a single swing, not using brute strength to deal with them.

After disposing of the corpses blocking the road, Malcolm lightly dusted his hands as he casually walked back to the carriage and entered satisfactorily.

Leona looked at him, displeased at the scene he had caused, but held it in due to their circumstances.

William couldn't help but pity these poor bandits for the blunder they had committed. How could they have the guts to attack the squad leader of the white dragon squad?

William couldn't help but feel grateful for his family. He had spent so many years alone and had forgotten what it was like to have people he cared about. But now he had his family back and would do everything he could to protect them. Although he had his subordinates and treated them like family, the feeling his actual family gave was somehow different. He felt free here.

He also knew that more dangers were lurking in the shadows. He had made enemies in his previous life and knew he would make them again. But he was ready for them, prepared for all sorts of deviations; William was now prepared to handle everything unexpected. He would face whatever challenges lay ahead, and he would emerge victorious.

As the carriage continued on its journey, William couldn't help but feel a sense of anxiety and discomfort. He had been away from his family for so long that he had forgotten how to act around them, and the fact that he had been supposedly 'hiding' his magic abilities made the situation even more awkward.

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On the other hand, the rest of the family seemed to be in high spirits. Adam was excited about the prospect of returning to the royal academy, while Rose was gushing about how cool it was that William had magic. Malcolm, meanwhile, was proud of his son for finally awakening his aspect.

After a while, the carriage arrived at the family estate. The estate was in a bad state, but nothing like before. The days Malcolm was freed from his cell, he directly paid a few carpenters and architects to work on the estate, quickly returning it into a habitable space.

Manuel greeted them with a respectful bow as the family exited the carriage.

"Welcome back, My lord, my Lady, It is good to see you are safe and sound."

Manuel said this as a formality, keeping decorum as he escorted his masters.

"Thank you, Manuel."

Leona replied, a smile blossoming on her face.

"It's good to be back."

Muttered Malcolm while looking at the destroyed walls, his heart bleeding due to the lives lost to the massacre.

Manuel then turned to William, Adam, and Rose and gave them a bow.

"Welcome back, young master Adam, young master William, and young Miss Rose. It's good to see you again."

William and the rest nodded in response, still feeling uneasy. William couldn't shake the feeling that something was off but couldn't grasp it.

As they walked into the mansion, William took in his surroundings. It had been a long time since he had been here, and the memories came flooding back. The back garden, the ornate doors, the marble floors... everything looked the same, but it felt different.

They were soon led to the family's sitting room, where tea and snacks were served. The atmosphere was tense, with no one quite sure what to say or do.

Finally, Rose spoke up.

"Will, can you show me some magic? Please?"

Her sweet voice made the room warmer and eased the tension in the room.

William sighed inwardly, but he knew he couldn't refuse. Rose enjoyed magic tricks a bit too much.

He closed his eyes and concentrated, mana flowing through his body. He extended his hand and summoned a ball of fire, which danced in the air. Although the magic wasn't unique, William could control it in such a way that would make any onlooker mesmerized.

He didn't need to cast a spell for it, using his pure mana to form it. Weirdly enough, William was one of the few people who could utilize all elements of magic despite not being as proficient at them as sound magic.

Since he was straining to use mana, his body began feeling sore, and his mana storage lessened significantly. Realizing this, he quickly stopped and took out a mana potion to recover his spent mana.

Rose's eyes widened in amazement, and Adam glanced in curiosity. Malcolm looked pleased as well, but Leona seemed troubled.

"William, why did you hide your magic from us?"

She asked the question in her mind from the moment she learned of the matter.

William hesitated, unsure of how to answer.

"I... I didn't want to cause any trouble."

He said finally.

"If you had told us, we could have helped you out and made you a greater mage, just like your father said. It's something to be proud of, not something to hide."

Leona said.

"I know, I know, I just... didn't know how to tell you."

William said, feeling guilty.

There was a moment of silence, and then Malcolm spoke up.

"Well, now that we know, we can start your training in earnest. You'll be a great mage one day, William, I'm sure of it."

William forced a smile, but his unease only grew. He couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong or about to happen. He just hoped he was wrong.

It was then that his father spoke once more.

"I'm going to personally train you since I can already tell you are also training Aura as well."

Malcolm smiled, but that smile didn't seem happy to William; instead, it seemed like a devil ready to make a deal with him. He couldn't help but gulp down his saliva, knowing how harsh his father was with training.

Hearing that William had also awakened his Aura, Adam seemed shocked but not dispirited. He seemed even more motivated than before.

Adam was a bit more reserved, but William could see the gratitude in his eyes. He knew his fake story had helped Adam regain his confidence and motivation.

Malcolm spoke with the servants, giving them orders and instructions. William could see he was still the same stern and commanding father he remembered.

Realizing that all of them must be exhausted from the journey, Malcolm let them return to their rooms.

Manuel, the head butler, showed them to their rooms, and William was surprised to find that his old room had been kept the same as he had left it. The room was spacious, with a large four-poster bed and a balcony overlooking the garden. William walked over to the balcony and looked out at the garden. It was a beautiful garden, but sadly, the assault and destruction had caused significant damage, making the plants wither and die. Thankfully, some of the plants survived and thrived on the corpses of the other plants, making them grow taller.

As night fell, William stared at the ceiling, exhausted from the long journey. As he lay in bed, he couldn't help but think about the future and what it held. He knew he had a second chance to prevent the demon invasion and save Roia.

With a determined expression, William closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.