Sweat dripped down my brows as I struggled to maintain my concentration, making sure not to let go of the mana that I was struggling to control as the runic circle pulsed with power.

Then, a wooden stick struck me in the back of my head, causing my concentration to falter and the runic circle to deactivate instantly.

"As I said before, you are not ready, Cedric."

I glared at my teacher as I sprawled on the ground in exhaustion.

"You distracted me."

"Of course I did. A true master of the runic arts would be able to maintain their concentration even when they are half dead, not to mention a simple surprise attack."

"Yeah, right. Can you do that?"

My teacher and savior, Michael, raised his eyebrow before answering.

"Of course I can. Do you not remember the Satanic Cult I defeated and saved you?"

"….Point taken. But still, I think I should still go with you. Even though I am not that adept with the runes, I still have my Aura-"

"Do not speak about your original powers, ever. Did you forget my teachings already?"

"…No."

"Cedric, you cannot allow anyone to learn the fact that you are not of this world, especially the fact that you have this peculiar form of mana usage that you call Aura. There are many forces on this planet that will not hesitate to put you on a dissection table to advance their magics by studying your body."

"But why? Did you not say that my Aura is nothing more than a bastardized form of Daoist martial arts?"

"…While that is true, you should still be careful. Especially since you have already admitted that you didn't fully know the ins and outs of your own power thanks to 'a misspent youth' as you put it."

I winced at his words, realizing that he was right.

In the three years I spent under Michael, I had already understood that, despite being extremely advanced compared to my world, human nature never changes. Where there is light, there is always darkness nearby.

"Don't worry, I will be back soon enough."

No, Michael, you would not.

I really should have insisted on following you, or at least, stopped you from going to the expedition organized by the Avalorian Order. I should have realized that it was a trap meant to kill you.

But, just like always, I end up falling short when it truly matters.

And so, just like always, I ended up losing the only one I truly considered a friend in this world, leaving me behind to inherit his name and status as his only disciple within the New World Arcanum.

On that day, Cedric Terron died and Michael Hurley, the successor of Michael Ruben was born.

And I would have my revenge for the death of my teacher and friend, no matter the cost.

A single decade later, the Avalorian Order, one of the five greatest Magical forces on Earth, would be annihilated at my hands, causing my infamy across the world's secret societies to increase by several folds.

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

In another life, in another time, I might have felt extremely nervous standing in front of the man who was my father as his cold gaze bore into my own eyes.

But this was not that time, and I had seen far worse than the neutral expression of my father in the seven decades I spent on Earth.

So, I matched his cold gaze with my own neutral look.

Honestly, there were a lot of things that I wanted to say, a lot of things I wanted to apologize for, but looking at how my own father was looking at me, I swallowed everything and simply sat there, waiting for him to talk.

I don't know if it is pettiness or anger, but just looking at his cold gaze, I felt all my emotions drain away into apathy.

I guess, some wounds are just too deep to ever forget, even after all this time.

"..If you have nothing to say, I would like to retire for the night and get some rest."

"….You seem to have gotten bolder. Do you think you can speak as you like now that you have gained Aura?"

I felt my anger rise but kept it under control.

I knew for a fact that my father loved me, or at least, cared for me to some extent, it is really hard to tell with this man. But every time I tried to be better, he would speak in a derogatory way towards me or bring up Cael, my dead brother, causing me to lash out in the only way I knew back then, by acting like a hooligan and tarnishing the family name that I inherited from my father.

Even now, despite knowing that the man in front of me would not live past the next year and having spent all the time I was not cultivating my Aura in the past month trying to come up with a solution for his condition, I still felt my rage grow with how he continued to treat me.

It has always been like this.

I don't know what truly caused the rift between us, whether it was Mother's death at the hands of unknown assassins or my brother's death at the Western Wall, what I do know is that Father resented me for as long as I can remember.

I never knew the reason for his resentment. Was it because I was left untouched during my mother's assassination because she used all her Aura to protect me instead of herself, leading to her death when I was 5 years old? Was it because he was forced to send my elder brother to the Western Wall instead of me when I was 12 because I had left home to fool around in the town when the imperial summons came for the family to send one of their sons to fight on the Western Wall, leading to his death?

Whatever the case may be, what I do know is two years ago, when I was 14 years old, the both of us lost our tempers and said some things that could not be taken back, irreparably damaging our relationship.

"Please get to the point. I don't want to ruin my good mood by listening to your sass."

"Have care how you speak, boy. I am still the person that is funding you. Everything you enjoy and take for granted comes from my pocket-"

"The family's pocket. The wealth we have was not earned by you. It was accumulated by our ancestors. In fact, I can go so far as to say that you have done nothing to add to it."

Father sneered at me, causing me to start losing my temper.

"As if you would know anything about that, boy."

"…Are you done? If so, I am leaving."

"You will be leaving alright. You are to depart for the Western Wall tomorrow and spend the rest of the time before the Academy opens next year and then join the academy officially."

That's it.

"While I don't mind going to the Western Wall, I will not be going to the Academy-"

"It is not your decision to make, boy."

"…And who will manage the territory? Without me present at the Dukedom and you spend most of your time in the Capital, how will we maintain our control?"

"I am sending Jason to maintain the territory."

I held back my expressions from showing the sting I felt at those words. I know that he does not mean what I think he meant, but emotions are hardly rational most of the time.

"I see. So you are sending your adopted son to officially take over as Heir? That is fine. Since the decision is made, I will also do what I must."

"Don't you dare-"

I slammed the door shut and started walking back to my room, trying hard to utilize my meditative techniques to control my emotions.

It is always like this. I am able to maintain my rationality most of the time, but the moment I think back to Father and Jason, I lose all my senses to anger and despair. Although, I am much better than I was back on Earth.

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Michael always used those two as triggers to make me lose my senses during our training. After his death, I worked hard on correcting this mistake and always believed that I had overcome these mental demons of mine.

But it is quite apparent that this is not the case.

Just as I finally managed to get control over my emotions and turned the corner, I came face to face with a black-haired red-eyed young man in Knight armor who stood still as he gazed uneasily at my face.

"…Young Master Cedric-"

"Hello, Jason. You heard everything?"

The way his expressions twisted into guilt was enough to confirm my words. As expected of a 3-Star Aura Adept.

Watching the boy who was two years younger than me, I forcefully suppressed my emotions even further. Jason did not deserve to face any of my emotional outbursts. He already had enough of that from my past self who always took out his insecurities on this poor boy.

Jason was an orphan from the Ignire Territory that Father picked up when he went to retrieve Cael's body.

I don't know the reason why Father decided to bring this particular orphan back or if he had any plans for him. The only thing my 12-year-old self knew was that his elder brother had just died and his father had bought back some other kid, demanding that I treat him like a brother from that day.

Of course, I snapped and Jason paid the price for it. The only thing that the poor boy ever wanted was a family, and all he ever received from me was scorn.

Until the very moment of his death back in the original timeline.

Even though I changed as I grew and started to see the truth, it was already too late by then. Hopefully, I won't make the same mistake again.

"..Young Master, I never intended to-"

"Jason, do not apologize. The tattered relationship between Father and I is not your fault. And, if there is anyone that needs to apologize, it is me."

"What! But-"

"Ever since Father brought you back from Ignire, I always thought that you were supposed to be Cael's replacement as the heir to the family, a right that I had by blood. But I realize now that I was being narrowminded, for the wrongdoings committed against you by me, all I can do is ask for forgiveness and an opportunity to start over."

The hopeful expression on Jason's face twisted my heart. Truly, Jason is one of the few people that I have wronged the most, so I must do my best to make it up to them.

But first, I need to do something about my current situation.

"If it were any other time, I would have done anything you asked of me to make up for the past. But, as you have heard, I will be heading to the Western Wall tomorrow, so I need you to do something for me when you head back to the territory."

"Of course, anything you desire. Well, at least anything that does not involve, you know-"

"Jason, this is serious."

His uneasy expression at remembering my past 'exploits' changed to seriousness as he sensed the seriousness in my own voice.

"I have no doubt that Father will be sending Sir Gael back with you to the territory. The moment you two get back, you must start investigating the Infernal Drake nest in the Eastern Mountains, discreetly."

"..But why? I know they pose a threat to the Kingdom, but the Elder Drake is in hibernation and will not wake up for at least a few centuries at least, and without the Elder Drake to guide them, the Infernal Drakes are not that much of a threat to us."

"I don't have the time to explain to you but trust me on this. I have reasons to suspect that the Demon Cultists are going to try something with the nest."

"The Cultists?? Why did you not inform the lord about this??"

The wry smile on my face made the squire flinch.

"You think he would take my words seriously? At best, he would dismiss me, at worst, he might say that I am deluded and lock me up in my room."

"…Then, what if I inform him?"

"He would believe you, but then what? Knowing his personality, he would immediately lead a regiment of Knights into the mountains to confront the Cultists, but given the unpredictable nature of the Cultist's powers, there is no telling what would happen. Worse yet, what if Father's interference unintentionally causes the Elder Drake to awaken? Our entire family will be branded as traitors and executed."

That shut Jason up with fright. And what I said to him was not wrong either.

Because that is how my family collapsed in the original timeline. We got word that there were Demon Cultists in the mountains, father chased after the rumors, found the cultists, and engaged them in battle.

What Father did not know was that the rumors were spread by the cultists themselves in hopes of luring him over into their trap.

And Father fell for their trap.

In the end, Father and the rest of the knights ended up engaging the Demon Cultists during which, the cultists used the shed blood for a blood ritual and tried to place a mind-controlling curse on the slumbering Elder Drake.

Then, things backfired as Elder Drake woke up and easily shook off the curse before starting an indiscriminate slaughter across the territory with the thousands of Infernal Drake under its control.

I had initially wanted to take some time to get a grasp on my current strength and then kill the Elder Drake while it was still in hibernation. But Father's actions have forced me to change the plan, leaving me with no choice by to let Jason handle things in my stead.

But that did not mean I was going to let him get into danger without preparing him for it.

"Jason, get your armor to my room, and your sword too."

"Why? Young Master, the armor has enchantments to make it unusable for anyone but me-"

"Relax, I am not going to steal it from you. I am just going to give you a little bit of protection before I depart."

With a doubtful expression, he left the corridor and headed for his room while I headed to my own, thinking about what to do.

While I don't have my engraving pen, I could make a substitute with a Low-quality Mana stone and some mana-infused wood.

No, the real problem is what kind of Runes I could engrave with such a shoddy replacement.

With such a low-quality engraving tool, the most I can do is place three runes on his armor and two runes on his sword. Anything more and the engraving would backfire.

I am not in the mood to have my arm blown to pieces again like the last time I pushed the limits of engraving during my novice years on Earth.

Perhaps a Thurisaz for protection, Uruz for strength, and a Gebo for sacrifice would do? The Thurisaz rune would protect Jason from damage to a certain extent, Uruz would fundamentally strengthen his body to the limits that his body can handle, and should he take a fatal blow, the Gebo rune would sacrifice the armor instead, switching the damage from his body to the armor.

As for the sword, perhaps I could use the Isa rune, instead of its freezing effect, I could use its Focus effect to heighten Jason's focus on a battle when his sword is drawn. The final Rune should be Perthro, specifically, its Luck aspect. Combined with the Focus rune, it should allow Jason to take out most of his adversaries with ease.

With a plan in mind, I started searching through my stuff for the Mana stone.

Time to see if my true skills have deteriorated in any way in the past month.