William has enjoyed his time training and has been recovering for the past few days.

Every day was a unique experience for him, as he cherished every moment with his family. His father had already returned to his post, only visiting once or twice per week, thanks to the close distance between the domains.

Since he was only a baronet, he didn't have many things to do, and his land was under another noble's jurisdiction. Even if his rank were to increase, since he was a knight squad leader, his routine wouldn't change much.

He was a commoner who had risen to the position of a noble through his hard work alone.

William was resting, singing, and playing with the lute he had purchased from Trader Bill while relaxing in the gazebo, and Rose was dancing to his song.

Since his voice was still immature and cracked, it was awkward for him to adjust, but he enjoyed the moment to the fullest.

The song he was singing was a song that would be created in the future, passed down by the wandering bards, and also sung by the remaining survivors.

William sang his heart with a gentle melody, releasing years of pent-up stress.

♪ "Through the ages, through the storms,

We stand together, hearts so warm.

In the darkest night, we find our light.

Guided by courage, burning bright.

We'll rise above the trials we face,

With strength and honor, we'll embrace.

For united we stand, divided we fall.

Together, we'll conquer; we'll heed the call.

Through the battles, through the strife,

We'll fight for freedom and for our lives.

With every step, with every breath,

We'll march onward, conquering death.

So sing with me. Oh, voices are strong.

For in our unity, we belong.

Through time and space, our spirits soar.

This song of hope forever." ♪

At the start, Rose was dancing with vigor; however, as the song progressed, she noticed that her brother's tone changed. Glancing at him, she stopped dancing.

"Will, are you alright? You are crying!"

Hearing her words, William stopped strumming his lute and glanced at her with confusion.

"Crying? What do you mean?"

He asked, doubt evident in his voice. Rubbing his cheeks in disbelief, he found he was crying. He hadn't noticed that his entire body was shaking and his hands were weak. His voice was also cracking, signifying his emotional turmoil.

William stood still for a few seconds, letting his tears pour out.

'What is wrong with me?'

He couldn't help but ask himself, feeling weird about the situation. It was like a dam was broken, releasing everything at once. Soon, his lips went numb, and his breathing was rugged.

"Will? What's the matter?"

Rose approached in worry, hugging him with her petite frame. William embraced her and started sobbing uncontrollably.

It felt like a weight had been lifted off his chest, yet he couldn't shake off the overwhelming sadness and relief that engulfed him. For some reason, singing that song made him realize that everything he was experiencing wasn't just a dream.

He had returned to the past, and his family was alive and well. The Rose he knew was no longer there; instead, she was the innocent child he always wanted her to be.

Taking deep breaths, he slowly stopped crying, even though he was still experiencing the aftermath of his emotional outburst.

Releasing his grasp on Rose, he smiled brightly and patted her head.

"Thank you for your support, Rose. It helped out your brother!"

He spoke to Rose with care, happy to have her by his side.

Rose smiled brightly, hugging him again, seeing him no longer crying.

At that moment, his mother rushed over from the distance, worry evident.

"Will? What is going on? I heard you were crying."

If you come across this story on Amazon, it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

She asked in worry, approaching her son in a fluster and grabbing his face to inspect it. Since he had cried a lot, his face was very swollen, and his eyes were red, confirming the fact that he had cried.

William wondered how she had found out so fast when he glanced behind her, finding the gardener looking at him worriedly.

Connecting the dots, he realized that the gardener was the one who informed his mother about the matter.

"I'm fine, Mom; don't worry... I don't know what came over me, but I just started crying."

He explained to his mother. His expression was awkward as she held him by the head.

"You haven't cried even once since you were young! How can your mother not worry?"

She rebutted, realizing something was up with him.

William kept his mouth shut, knowing his mother was right. He was stoic and rarely showed an emotion other than mischief or happiness. Of course, he knew that it wasn't normal for him not to express those feelings, but he couldn't do anything else but suppress them.

All this time, even counting his previous timeline, this was the second time he had ever cried.

The first time was when he had lost his family and was left alone, caring for Rose. William realized that he had placed a mental wall on his emotions after the incident, and his current life had untied a knot in his heart.

Although he would still be stoic since it had become a habit,.

A mischievous smile couldn't help but naturally appear on his lips as he spoke to his mother.

"I think the song I was singing touched me emotionally... Mother, how about I spread it around?"

He blatantly lied, once again hiding his true self.

----------------------------------------

William rose from his bed like he usually did, maintaining the same sleeping habits of his past.

He stretched and felt rejuvenated.

"Eddie, how is the situation?"

He spoke, his voice calm and relaxed.

A figure soon manifested from his shadow, dressed in the clothing of a servant.

This young man was Eddie Kelley, the thief William had recruited.

After William returned to his house, he released Eddie from his shadow and asked Manuel to train him as a personal servant. Of course, Manuel agreed, quite liking the young man's temperament. He was given a servant's residence inside the estate, just like every servant, and was strictly trained to be one of the best, from serving to information gathering to assassination.

"There haven't been any issues so far. The only major news I've gathered is about the upcoming ball. It is a gathering for Princess Frieda's coming of age."

William just nonchalantly nodded at the report, expecting as much. He vaguely remembered her coming-of-age ceremony since it was widespread news in the empire while he and Rose struggled to survive.

It was not a pleasant memory for him to hold on to.

"Thank you, Eddie; you may return to your post."

He calmly ordered him as he got ready for the day.

Completing his morning routine, he went downstairs, enjoying breakfast with his mom and sister.

Adam had returned to the Royal Knight Academy to finish his final year while his father was on a mission.

He had a hearty conversation with them and left as soon as he finished his meal, already having a plan for the day.

His mana channels had finally recovered enough for him to cultivate mana. Making his way to the gazebo, his training spot, William sat down and began circulating mana through his body.

He slowly absorbed mana from the environment, gradually increasing the load on his channels so as not to shock them after their prolonged abuse.

This process was time-consuming. However, he knew it was necessary since he would harm his future potential if he hurried.

The way mana absorption worked was similar to breathing. However, it was done with one's entire body, not just the respiratory system. Mana particles were slowly absorbed into each cell, condensing into something similar to a liquid in the mana channels.

Mana channels were unique pathways inside beings living in Roia and existed physically. If one were to cut up William's body, he would see tiny channels that circulated energy around, with their end goal being the brain.

For this reason, it was hazardous to use one's brain as the mana core rather than the heart. Even the heart itself was a dangerous place to create a core since, in the event of damage, it could result in death. However, it was far more manageable than the brain, making mana circulation much more accessible.

Most low-class mages didn't make either a brain or heart core but instead utilized one of their other vital organs, such as the stomach or a kidney, lowering the chance of damage to a minimum.

Of course, this had its drawbacks, as putting the core in non-suitable organs would limit one's future potential by a lot, essentially causing them to waste dozens of years of progress.

Being a mage required talent, intellect, and guts to achieve things others could only imagine.

William spent his entire day absorbing mana and solidifying his channels, making very slight progress.

'With a few more days of absorption and saturation, I can advance to the first rank."

He thought to himself, happy with his progress.

----------------------------------------

Two weeks after William recovered from the aftereffects of the forbidden spell, he was finally ready to advance to a first-rank mage.

He had long ditched breakfast and had entered a secluded area of the estate, informing all servants not to approach his vicinity unless called upon.

Surrounded by lush greenery and the gentle rustle of leaves in the breeze, he took a deep breath, feeling the mana in the air swirling around him.

With a focused expression, he began to channel his mana while drawing from the environment and guiding it through his body. The sensation was like a warm, comforting embrace, as if he were enveloped by gentle energy.

His entire body glowed in a blue hue while the dense mana around him created a strong turbulence, causing the plant life around him to blossom due to the sudden mana surge.

Slowly but steadily, he felt the mana flowing through his channels, filling every inch of his being. It was a delicate process, requiring concentration and patience, but William was determined to succeed.

Advancing to a first-rank mage required more than talent or mana; it required a fundamental understanding of mana. One had to first get through the mental blockade before being able to advance.

However, William had already gone through this situation once and was more than prepared. He was sure that few people understood mana better than him.

With a deep breath, he channeled all his mana to his brain, prompting him to shout in pain at the core formation process.

After completion, his mana core would be called a mana brain, where he would then need to stack layers of mana, which would signify his rank depending on the layers.

Creating a mana core inside his brain would be a painful process no matter what, so he was prepared for the pain; however, it was more significant than he had expected.

Biting his lips, he withstood the pain for as long as he could, his core condensing bit by bit.

Finally, after six hours of both mental and physical exhaustion, his core was created, prompting him to collapse with a pleased smile.

His entire body began leaking out a black, sticky liquid—the impurities that were left over inside his body being purified further, just like they had done when he first awakened his mana.

Since he had now achieved the trinity of energies—mana, aura, and aspect—he had opened his path to becoming a future powerhouse. With this, he completed one of his goals and preparations for the upcoming ball.