"Alright! Let's go to the Central plaza!"
Liam was practically vibrating with excitement as he wrapped his arms tightly around Fainyx from behind, declaring proudly that they were finally going to the city.
Adam pinched the bridge of his nose in clear exasperation
"Liam... That place was full of people... It's dangerous for Fainyx to go there..."
Adam sighed as he pount out how dangerous it is.
"But Fainyx has never gone outside before!"
Liam protested with dramatic flair.
"He has lived his entire life trapped inside the estate, so you have to let him see the world at least once!"
Fainyx, who was currently being squeezed like a helpless stuffed toy, felt a flicker of mild annoyance that was quickly overshadowed by genuine curiosity.
'In the game, the capital city was absolutely massive... Even though it's a central city it's still farther away from the kingdom where the king lives. But that place is where also that academy is.'
Fainyx thought to himself. He remembered the sprawling markets, the towering magical spires, the opulent noble districts, and the prestigious academy at the very center where Orion spent his school days.
However, seeing those grand sights on a glowing screen was completely different from actually standing in the middle of them.
He had never actually step beyond the towering walls of the Nocte estate.
Adam hesitated for a moment, which was exactly the opening Liam needed to activate his ultimate weapon.
The younger boy widened his bright blue eyes, projecting a pitiful, pleading look that immediately shattered his brother's resolve.
"Sigh... Fine but we need Father's permission first"
Adam let out a long, defeated sigh and finally agreed.
"Yay~ Fainyx let's get ready now!"
Liam jumped into the air with a victorious cheer, leaving Fainyx to silently pity his eldest brother.
'Truly the most pitiable brother...' Fainyx mused. 'He cannot even win against his little brother's ridiculous antics...'
They summoned the head butler to officially request their father's permission to leave the estate, and within a few short minutes, the man returned with an answer.
"His Grace was currently occupied, but he had fully anticipated their request. "
The butler calmly informed
Adam straightened his posture slightly, prompting the butler to continue.
"The Duke had permitted the outing and had assigned the myself to accompany on their travels."
Fainyx blinked in mild surprise.
'Just the butler?' he wondered. 'Are there no knights coming with us?'
Releasing a discreet, invisible thread of mana towards his eyes, Fainyx carefully scanned the butler's magical core, and the resulting feedback made his eyes widen slightly in realization.
'He possesses the strength of a grand mage...' Fainyx noted in shock. 'He is at the sixth circle...'
Liam grinned proudly at his brother's reaction, as he boasted
Don't worry Fainyx Butler Weinhart used a high class mage who once defeated a thousand monsters all by himself using powerful magic isn't that cool~"
Weinhart chuckled softly and offered a deep bow, humbly statted
" I was merely grateful to His Grace for saving my life long ago, and that it was an absolute honor to serve the Nocte family."
He then turned directly toward Fainyx, bowing perfectly as he formally introduced himself
" Young Master, my name is Weinhart Walters, you can just call be Butler Walter or just Mr. Weinhart for short. I swore to protect my young masters with my very life."
Even though his dark hair was heavily streaked with gray and faint wrinkles lined his aging face, his overall presence was incredibly sharp, resembling a perfectly sheathed blade waiting to be drawn.
Fainyx offered a small nod of acknowledgment.
'He is strong...' Fainyx analyzed silently. 'Very strong.'
Shortly after the introductions, a flurry of servants whisked Fainyx away to bathe him.
He was deeply uncomfortable with the prospect of being bathed by other people, but given his current tiny body, he simply had no choice in the matter.
Once the torturous bath was finally complete, he was immediately dragged into the expansive dressing room where the maids carefully began preparing his outfit.
He had personally chosen an ensemble that was entirely black, stubbornly refusing the frilly, cute garments the maids had desperately tried to force upon him.
They were visibly disappointed by his rejection, but they had no choice but to obey his firm demands.
His chosen attire was crafted from fine velvet layered over impeccable, structured tailoring.
He wore a fitted black noble vest featuring subtle silver vine embroidery trailing along the crisp edges, paired with short sleeves that allowed for easy movement.
A soft black ribbon was tied neatly around his neck, secured flawlessly with a polished violet gemstone brooch that caught the room's light like a captured fragment of dusk.
Elegant black shorts completed the look, expertly paired with pristine high stockings and dark leather shoes that had been polished to a mirror shine.
His unique gradient white and green hair was gently gathered at the back of his head and tied with thin green ribbons, giving him a remarkably delicate appearance.
Furthermore, the bangs that usually covered his face had been neatly combed to the side, finally revealing his striking, crystal violet eyes to the world.
He looked exactly like the picture perfect miniature noble of a remarkably high ranking household.
Fainyx was completely unused to wearing such elaborate, heavy clothing since he usually preferred a simple, plain shirt, and the lavish attention made him feel incredibly embarrassed.
Meanwhile, the surrounding servants simply could not help but shed actual tears of joy as they admired his overwhelmingly adorable figure.
When he was finally released from the dressing room, he stepped out to find Liam waiting for him.
The older boy wore a crisp white jacket adorned with brilliant gold threading along the shoulders and cuffs, featuring intricate floral embroidery that caught the eye.
A stylish, gold trimmed capelet rested lightly across his back, fastened securely by a shining family crest brooch. His tailored black shorts provided a sharp, handsome contrast to the white fabric, and the entire outfit was tied together with polished riding boots and pristine white gloves.
Standing there, Liam looked exactly like a young, energetic prince born directly from a royal lineage.
Beside him, Adam was dressed in a striking shade of deep sapphire. His long, sophisticated noble coat was a rich midnight blue, detailed with clean silver lining and subtle geometric embroidery tracing along the elegant hem.
A matching sapphire brooch sat perfectly at his collar, perfectly complementing his cool, composed aura. His sleek, minimal black shorts and flawlessly polished dark boots completed the refined look.
Weinhart stepped forward and smoothly adjusted his white gloves, announcing that their carriage was fully prepared for departure.
Liam immediately grabbed Fainyx's small hand, cheering loudly as he pulled his little brother toward the entrance, while Adam followed closely behind them with much calmer, measured steps.
Fainyx paused to cast one brief glance back at the massive mansion before turning his attention forward, looking far beyond the imposing estate gates.
For the very first time in his life, he was actually going to see the bustling city outside with his own two eyes.
The heavy carriage doors swung open to receive them, and as they stepped inside the luxurious cabin, a palpable sense of excitement completely filled the air around them.
The Duke's territory was incredibly vast, meaning the main city lay approximately an hour away by carriage.
Under normal circumstances, a magical portal would have made the long journey entirely instantaneous, but unfortunately, the estate's main transport portal was currently shut down for scheduled repairs.
As a result of this inconvenience, they had no other choice but to travel the old fashioned way.
Fainyx found himself feeling unusually curious about the inner workings of the teleportation portal.
'How exactly does it operate?' he wondered, watching the passing scenery.
'What specific kind of magic circle or complex spell formula does it require to function? If I could just understand its base structure, would it be possible for me to recreate something similar on my own?'
The intriguing thought lingered in his mind for a while, but he eventually pushed it aside and turned his attention elsewhere, leaning slightly toward the carriage window to quietly stare at the world outside.
Countless tall trees passed by his vision one after another, their lush green leaves swaying gently beneath the wide open sky.
Soft, golden sunlight filtered beautifully through the thick branches, and the vast expanse of deep blue above him felt almost unreal to witness.
It had been an incredibly long time since he had last ventured outside. In fact, this was only the second time he had ever left the safety of the Duke's household grounds, with the first time being his initial transfer to the main palace.
Because of that extreme isolation, this simple carriage ride felt profoundly special to him, and without even realizing it, a faint, genuine sense of excitement began to settle warmly in his chest.
Sitting comfortably beside him, Liam hummed a cheerful melody, his small feet dangling and swaying back and forth in pure, unfiltered enthusiasm.
The young boy was clearly thrilled by the outing, especially since he had proudly appointed himself as their official guide for the day.
Sitting directly across from them, Adam watched the energetic display with a long, incredibly tired sigh.
"Everyone... Don't do anything rash when we arrived at our destination, especially you Liam."
"Eh... Why me?"
"You know why..."
"Ok ok~"
He calmly instructed his brothers not to do anything rash once they arrived at the city, to which Liam replied with a bright, entirely unconvincing grin, promising that he would behave perfectly.
Liam then turned his shining eyes toward Fainyx,
"Fainyx! Have you ever went to a toy store?"
Fainyx looked at his brother and slowly shook his head.
Liam's bright smile widened instantly, and he eagerly declared
"I'll show you a very good toy store in the central plaza Fainyx! That olace is my favorite shop to buy toys! I also give you the grandest tour in the plaza!"
Fainyx paused, considering the offer. He did not particularly care for childish toys, but seeing Liam practically vibrating with eager anticipation, he simply did not have the heart to disappoint him.
After a brief moment of contemplation, he offered a soft nod of agreement, which was more than enough to make Liam cheer.
The brothers continued their pleasant journey with Liam doing the vast majority of the talking, while Fainyx simply responded with small, agreeable nods and quiet gestures.
Neither Liam nor Adam seemed to mind his silence at all, perfectly content to just share the space together.
The steady, rhythmic rocking of the wooden carriage, combined with the soft hum of conversation and the mesmerizing view passing by the window, slowly began to make Fainyx feel incredibly drowsy.
However, just as his heavy eyelids finally began to flutter shut, the carriage violently jerked to a complete and sudden halt.
Fainyx lurched forward from the unexpected momentum, nearly losing his balance entirely, but Adam moved with lightning speed, gripping his younger brother securely before he could fall from the seat.
"Are you alright Fainyx?"
Fainyx offered a silent nod to confirm he was unhurt.
Reassured, Adam immediately turned his sharp gaze toward the front window
"Mr. Weinhart what happened?"
Seated at the driver's position, the butler replied without a single trace of panic in his voice,
"... It's seems that there's five hostile monsters currently heading directly towards our position"
"I see... What kind of creatures?"
"Based on their large bodies they were a fully grown ogres that appears to be actively chasing soneone down the road."
The very moment Weinhart finished speaking, the relaxed atmosphere inside the carriage shifted into something incredibly tense and dangerous.
Peering through the dense trees ahead, another speeding carriage suddenly came into full view, its metallic crest gleaming faintly beneath the midday sunlight.
Even from a significant distance, the ornate design made it perfectly clear that the fleeing vehicle belonged to a prominent noble house.
Running relentlessly behind the fleeing carriage, five towering ogres charged forward with terrifying speed, their massive, muscular frames physically shaking the earth with every thunderous step they took.
"Grahh!!"
The monsters dragged their crude, heavy weapons aggressively against the ground, leaving deep, jagged marks scarred into the dirt road behind them.
"That crest..."
Liam immediately straightened his posture, recognizing the gleaming crest on the carriage ahead
"It's a noble's family..."
but Adam calmly finished his sentence, confirming that it was indeed another noble family, though his dark brows tightened slightly in clear concern.
Both brothers instinctively shifted their weight, moving as if they fully intended to step outside and assist the strangers in danger.
But before either of them could even reach for the carriage door handle, a perfectly clean, white gloved hand gently but firmly blocked their way.
"Young Masters, please remain inside"
Weinhart's voice remained entirely composed and deeply dignified.
"I'll handle this please."
His tone was not loud or aggressive, yet it carried the kind of absolute, undeniable authority that demanded immediate obedience.
He promised them that he would handle the matter personally, and without waiting for any form of protest from the boys, the elderly butler stepped gracefully down to the dirt road.
The heavy carriage door closed softly behind him, leaving the three brothers to watch the unfolding chaos from the safety of their seats.