With his body still leaning against the chair, Michael looked toward the window and saw a familiar horse-drawn carriage arriving at his house.
Michael's expression suddenly turned into joy, as if his previous worries had never existed in this world.
He stood up and immediately ran to the front gate of the house to greet the ones who had arrived.
The distance between his room and the gate was quite far, as Michael's room itself was on the third floor.
But that distance meant nothing to Michael.
Even though his body was small, he was able to reach the front quickly and easily. Perhaps this was a physical trait of humans in this new world?
Upon arriving at the gate, he saw two familiar figures.
They were his older brothers.
They had already arrived before Michael.
Austin and Alvian.
Those were the names of Michael's two brothers.
Austin was the eldest, and the age gap between him and Alvian was only one year. In terms of appearance, the two of them looked quite similar, with blonde hair, the most common hair color among the people of this new world.
Austin had a middle-part hairstyle, while Alvian let his hair fall freely without any particular style. The golden, gleaming eyes they both possessed were inherited from their father.
The most striking difference between them lay in their height, with Austin, the eldest, being taller than Alvian.
As for Michael, his appearance wasn't much different from theirs. Aside from height, the difference between Michael and his brothers lay in the color of his eyes. Michael's eyes, which he had inherited from his mother, were red like rubies.
Their gazes toward Michael as he approached were filled with displeasure. But Michael didn't pay them any attention.
From the carriage, a man and a woman stepped out, standing side by side.
A middle-aged man who had just entered his forties, yet his face still looked handsome, and people would hardly believe it if they knew his real age. With a thick mustache and a sharp nose, the aura of a warrior radiated strongly from Marquis Vallerstein.
Indeed, the older man who looked more like a handsome man in his mid-twenties was none other than their father, Marquis Alex Vallerstein.
Alex Vallerstein was the heir of House Vallerstein, a family entrusted with the duty and responsibility by the kingdom to guard the northeastern border of the Ferrum Kingdom.
House Vallerstein possessed great military strength, strong enough to be called one of the pillars of the kingdom's security.
Their domain lay in a region full of conflict and danger, with monsters roaming about. Even in the safest part of their territory, such as where they currently lived, there were still weekly reports of monster attacks.
Even with the aid of the Adventurer's Guild, the security of this region was hardly assured.
One could not even begin to imagine the dangers that Marquis Alex Vallerstein had to face every day in order to protect his land.
The name Alex Vallerstein was widely known throughout the kingdom for his achievements and excellence in the military. At a young age, he distinguished himself as one of the most talented graduates and went on to become a member of the royal army.
The Talent possessed by Alex Vallerstein was a Grade B Talent called "Battle Experience Accumulation." A talent that granted its user strength proportionate to the number of battles and wars won, with additional bonuses if the battles were fought exceptionally well.
Of course, this talent could only be used under certain terms and conditions.
For example, in order to benefit from this talent, Marquis Alex had to be present in or lead a unit consisting of at least five members including himself. Moreover, the enemy could not be too much weaker than him. If they were weaker, then the number of enemies had to reach a certain threshold for the talent to activate.
If such restrictions were not in place, Marquis Alex might very well have become the strongest man in the world.
Just imagine—if one-on-one battles counted, and there were no restrictions on fighting weaker opponents, then Marquis Alex could simply capture thousands of goblins and slimes, defeat them one by one, and rapidly grow stronger in no time.
Yet even with these restrictions, Marquis Alex's Talent still shone brilliantly. He had participated in thousands of battles and emerged victorious in all of them.
It had to be so—because had he ever lost, he would not have been able to set foot in his home again.
Such an extraordinary number was only possible because this land was teeming with monsters.
One could hardly fathom the extent of Marquis Vallerstein's strength thanks to his Talent.
Standing beside him was a beautiful woman—his wife.
Michelle Vallerstein.
She had long blonde hair styled into a half-up ponytail, giving her an elegant impression to anyone who saw her. At the front, her face was framed by long bangs parted to either side, the strands softening her features, giving her a mature aura and making her face appear smaller.
The woman was not much younger than her husband.
As the wife of a Marquis, Michelle carried several responsibilities. Generally, what a lady of a noble family would do was manage household affairs, support her husband, attend noble banquets, and engage in diplomacy with other noble houses.
However, Michelle did more than that. She even took part in accompanying her husband in battle. It was exceedingly rare for a lady to personally join her husband on the battlefield.
Michelle was fully aware of the situation in the Vallerstein domain, and thus she extended her hand to help.
Her combat ability was considerable. She was a mage with a Grade C Talent known as "Wing of Silent Sky."
This Talent granted her the ability to make herself or objects around her fly. Because of this, Marquis Alex's forces possessed an aerial advantage.
With this Talent, Michelle could unleash magical attacks from the skies without interruption, allowing her to continuously bombard monsters on the ground.
As for aerial monsters, Michelle had more than enough capability to fight them as well. Against particularly strong monsters, she often acted as bait, creating strategies that allowed the ground troops to assist her effectively.
But the true reason she accompanied her husband was because she loved him deeply.
She wanted to spend as much time with him as possible.
Her Talent, which allowed her to fly, was actually proof of her wish to remain close to her husband.
Michelle could have simply flown herself or even the carriage straight home. That way, they would not need to waste days on the journey.
But she never did.
Instead, they chose to take the long journey that lasted for days.
Because if she did otherwise, once they arrived home, they would immediately be occupied with their noble duties.
And that would lessen their time together.
It wasn't that they disliked their responsibilities as nobles.
It was simply that the Vallerstein territory was a unique place, where one's life could be lost at any moment. Especially Alex Vallerstein, Michelle's husband, who regularly ventured into dangerous lands to protect his domain.
Knowing how her husband lived every day, Michelle could not hold herself back. She did not want to regret not spending time with the one she loved.
Even when they were home, everyone could see how affectionate the two of them were.