Ten years had passed, and in that time, I have learned many things. Since I was seven years old, my entire family has been teaching me various skills.

When it comes to swordsmanship, my dad and grandfather have been my instructors. As for magic, my four older sisters, Sheyn, Sen, Sunny, and Claire, have been my teachers.

Secretly, Jun, Clark, and Craft have also been training me in different assassination techniques that I might use one day. It doesn’t bother me; in fact, I find it exciting to learn these skills.

This year, I'm expected to enroll in a small school in Apple Village, located in Denku Country. Of course, I chose it myself. Who would want to attend a large, expensive school when they teach the same things? Besides, I've already learned a lot at home before even setting foot in a school.

Right now, I'm sitting in the living room with my mother as she sews something I don't quite understand. Sewing is her hobby, so I don’t disturb her. Instead, I spend the entire day watching her work.

As I watch her, one by one, the members of our family start entering the room, all eager to approach me.

“I was first! ”

“Move aside, Craft! ”

“Ladies first! Step aside! ”

“Ahhh, I’m getting squished! ”

“Huh?!”

“Hehe, just kidding! ”

Their mixed reactions and words show how determined they are to get close to me. Then, my mother speaks up to calm everyone down.

“Okay, how about this? Let's base the order on who is the youngest to the oldest. What do you think? ”

They measure who is the oldest based on how long they’ve been in the family. Although Claire is the oldest in age, she was the last to join the family before me, making her the youngest.

“Alright! I’m going first! ”Claire shouts, thrilled as she eagerly hands me her gift.

Claire hands me an Elderstaves, beautifully crafted. From what I’ve read, it’s a magic wand known in the Azaroth Kingdom. The materials used are valuable, like Lumisyl wood and purple dust from two well-known kingdoms ruled by two famous kings.

“Wow! An Elderstaves! Thank you so much, Ate Claire! ”

“I’m glad you like it. I was worried it might not suit your taste,” Claire says with a nervous smile as she talks to me.

After Claire gives her gift, the other three sisters, Sheyn, Sen, and Sunny, follow suit.

First to approach is Sheyn, the youngest among the three.

“Hi, little one! Since you’re about to start school, you’ll need this. Tada! ”Sheyn excitedly hands me a bag that looks quite expensive.

Honestly, all their gifts seem pricey. It looks like their allowances are more generous than I expected.

“Thank you so much, Ate Sheyn! This is beautiful! ”

“I’m happy you like it.”

After Sheyn gives me the bag, Sen comes up with a huge box.

“Ate Sen, what is this? ”

“Hehe, open it.”

I open the box, surprised to find a tiny, cute guardian egg inside. Honestly, I wonder why she put such a small thing in such a large box. Still, I thank Ate Sen because I know this guardian will be useful to me once it grows.

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“A guardian egg! Thank you, Ate Sen. By the way, what kind of guardian is this?”

“To be honest, I don’t know either. I just asked Clark to get it for me when he visited the Twin Realm to see his guardian.”

After Sen hands over the guardian egg, Sunny quickly approaches and gives me a purple magic orb.

“A magic orb! This is rare, Ate Sunny. Are you sure you want to give this to me? ”

“Of course! I want to give you the best gift. Plus, I’m sure you’ll need that magic orb, so take good care of it for me.”

“Yes, I will.”

I say, grinning widely. The magic orb is a rare artifact, small in size, that can be attached to the Elderstaves to enhance its power.

It amplifies magic spells and eternal energy attacks that the Elderstaves can release, and it can also store a large amount of mana and eternal energy for the user to access in emergencies.

After Sunny, Craft comes up next, handing me various school supplies. Honestly, I was expecting some assassin weapons or any cool gear that could be used in assassination attempts.

I know I’m still too young for this, but I’ve grown fascinated with different types of weapons since I was raised around them. I still thanked Craft, and then his younger brother Clark approached, giving me a necklace. It’s not related to my school studies, but it’s a symbol of the Vandey family.

Dad and Grandpa have this same necklace, and I’ve been wondering what it means, so I asked Clark.

“Kuya, I’ve noticed that both Dad and Grandpa wear this kind of necklace, but they’re the only ones who have it, and now I do too. Does this mean something? ”

“You carry the blood of an Original Vandey, which is why you have one. And besides, you’ll be the head of this family one day.”

“Is that so? Thank you, Clark! ”

Clark smiled and nodded slightly, as expected of him—he’s always so respectful, even though I’m younger than him.

Finally, Jun steps up to me, handing over a dagger. Jun is a dagger specialist, trained by Grandpa when he first joined the family, and he’s also Grandpa’s right hand.

“Wow! A dagger! I’ve been waiting for someone to give me this! ”

“Huh? A dagger?! You wanted a dagger?! But young master, I gave you a magic orb,” Sunny says, shocked that I preferred a dagger over the magic orb. Sunny can’t stand losing when it comes to gifts.

“Ate Sunny, I didn’t say I didn’t like your magic orb gift. I just really wanted to receive a dagger too.”

“Is that so?”

Sunny replied, looking a bit down as she sat beside her two sisters. It’s amusing how competitive she gets about gifts.

After a bit of conversation, I thanked Jun for the dagger. Mom also reminded me not to use it until I’m at least sixteen years old.

Well, Mom's right—I'm still young. No sensible parent would let their 10-year-old child handle such a sharp dagger.

After that, Mom told us that we were all going to a nearby restaurant in town. Unfortunately, Dad and Grandpa couldn’t join us since they had work.

Dad is a member of the SDS, or Supreme Defense System, an organization created by the Heavens Council as a'secret' anti-evil group to protect people without the need for the kings to intervene. Its members are from the eight royal families.

Meanwhile, Grandpa works at a vegetable and fruit farm near the school I’ll be attending. The farm is beautiful, filled with colorful trees and plants, which is why I chose that school—to be closer to it.

As night fell, our whole family arrived at a large restaurant adorned with beautiful chandeliers.

A staff member approached and asked how many of us would be dining. After counting, they led us to a large table with enough chairs for everyone.

We were handed the menu, and I started looking through it, but there were so many choices that I couldn’t decide.

I leaned towards Jun, who was sitting next to me, and asked him what would be good to eat.

"I think you should go with the steak. You mentioned before that it's your favorite."

Really? Did I say that before? Well, if that’s the case, then I’ll order it. I told the others what I wanted, and they started placing their orders as well.

In just a few minutes, our food arrived. There was so much of it that I didn’t know where to start, but since I ordered the steak, I dug into that first.

It was so delicious—so tender and flavorful. There must be some secret ingredients in it because it was so good that I couldn’t help but close my eyes as I savored it.

"Haha, are you okay, son? You look like you’ve gone to heaven with that bite."

"It's just so delicious, Mom!"

"Haha! I’m glad you like it. Did you know that this is where your dad and I first met?"

"Really? Is that true?"

"Yes. I was just eating here, and he was at the table next to mine. After he came back from the restroom, he tripped and fell right in front of me. He was so embarrassed that he quickly stood up and sat across from me, trying to charm me with flowery words, thinking it would work on me. Haha!"

The entire time we were eating, Mom told us the story of how she first met Dad. I had no idea Dad was so corny with his jokes and attempts to impress girls.

She said that after their first encounter, they started eating at this restaurant together every night until Dad finally started talking to her. Before long, he began courting her, and Mom had no idea he was a member of a royal family.

Eventually, Dad introduced Mom to Grandpa and Grandma, and they immediately liked her. After that, they moved in together but often went on trips to enjoy their youth.

A few years later, Grandpa suddenly brought home a child no one knew—and that was Jun, the first member of our family.

Honestly, their love story is so sweet—two people who met and got to know each other because of a small, unexpected accident.

It makes me wonder if someday I’ll meet a girl like Mom—someone who will listen to my corny jokes and accept me for who I am, not for what I have.

After we finished eating, we took a walk around town. Unlike the big cities in other countries, this town has its own unique charm.

A peaceful life, happy people, a quiet night—who wouldn’t wish for a simple life like this?

When I grow up, I’ll protect this country and its people. I’ll do everything I can to ensure they live the life they want.

Mom came up to me, took my hand, and smiled as we walked. She looked so beautiful, like an angel.

"Sweetheart, do you want some sweets?"

"Yes, Mom!"

We went to a small store that sold all sorts of sweet treats. There were so many to choose from that I couldn’t decide, so Mom picked some for me.

We bought a lot, enough to share with everyone. The sweets were delicious. I really enjoyed this night, and of course, I ended up completely full.

When we got home, Dad was already there.

"Welcome back! Did you all have a good time?"

I ran to Dad and hugged him tightly.

"Yes, Dad! Mom even bought us sweets, and we got some for you and Grandpa too."

"Ohh! These look delicious. I’ll save some for later."

"Can I have a taste now?" I asked.

"Of course, haha!"

Dad and I talked happily about what he did all day at the council. Despite everything, he didn’t look tired at all.

After a while, Claire took me to my room to sleep.

"Miya, I received an invitation from a friend of mine who lives in Bondea City."

"Hm? What kind of invitation?"

"A birthday party. Ken wants the three of us to attend his child’s birthday party."

"Oh! Ken—isn’t he your childhood friend you always tell me about, the one you and Mr. Gary used to hang out with?"

"Yes, that’s him."

"So, you’re still in touch with him. Let’s go! It’ll be Azrael’s first time attending a birthday party."

"Alright, I’ll let him know we’ll be there."