On the day of Kael's departure.
Not a single member of the Virel family came out to see him off. Only the servants were busy preparing his needs, and even that felt deliberately limited.
Almost all of those assigned were elderly servants, with only a few younger ones. As if everything had been arranged on purpose.
Even the soldiers escorting him were merely third-tier troops of the Virel family, mostly made up of youths. Although their strength was far above that of ordinary humans, it did not reflect any honor at all.
Who exactly was Kael in their eyes?
Just because he did not possess a Source, his treatment changed so drastically. Even though they still shared the same blood.
Not long after, Kael's group left the Virel noble residence, under the watchful gazes of people hiding in the shadows.
Meanwhile, far from the main courtyard, a middle-aged man stood on a balcony, gazing at the sky.
His appearance was cold and authoritative. His black hair was neatly combed with soft waves, with a single striking white strand at the front, giving him a unique yet mysterious impression.
His face was firm, with a sharp jawline and a serious gaze, as if always alert and difficult to read.
He wore an elegant black outfit with intricate silver embroidery on the chest, paired with a long coat lined with thick fur on the shoulders.
Behind him, someone knelt on one knee. Their body was covered in a black robe, head lowered, with only their mouth visible.
"So… he has left, has he…" he said quietly.
His hand waved lightly. Instantly, the robed figure disappeared, as if they had never been there at all.
Hah…
The man, Darius, let out a soft sigh. His face remained as cold as ever, yet within his gaze, there was a trace of longing.
His hand slipped into his pocket, pulling out a necklace. He opened it slowly, revealing a photo of someone.
His lips trembled. "What exactly are you planning, Sera…" he whispered softly.
*
Time passed once again. The sun began to rise on the horizon.
The camp, once quiet, slowly came back to life. The soldiers who had stood guard throughout the night began to rotate, while the servants had already woken early, busy preparing various necessities.
Inside the tent, Kael had just opened his eyes.
With a lazy motion, he sat up and stretched slowly.
'My sleep was much better compared to when I was on Earth… is it because of this blanket?' he thought, his hand brushing over the soft white surface.
'But what makes it special? The material? This should be normal in a world like this, right?'
He was wrong.
Not everyone had such luxury. In fact, many people did not even have a permanent place to live and had to sleep wherever they could.
However, Kael did not think much about it. He brushed the thought aside and got out of bed.
Due to habits from his previous world, he made the bed himself.
'Let's just say I'm helping… from the previous owner's memories, he was always woken up by Edward and the servants.'
He paused for a moment.
'Now this body is mine. I need to change that habit a little… but not too noticeably. It'll be troublesome if they start getting suspicious because I change too drastically.'
After that, Kael walked to the table, poured water into a glass, and drank it in one go.
'Refreshing…'
Then, Kael glanced at the gap in the curtain before finally stepping out of the tent. As he stepped outside, he was immediately greeted by a fresh breeze brushing against his face.
In the distance, he saw his subordinates already busy with their activities.
Some servants were preparing food while occasionally chatting, making the atmosphere feel lively.
Meanwhile, some soldiers were helping, others were training, cleaning their weapons, and the rest stood guard at a distance from the camp.
'A scene like that… for some reason makes me feel both happy and envious.'
Kael watched the servants joking in the distance.
'Since that incident, no one has truly wanted to get close to me.'
His gaze dropped to his own palm.
'Even with this new body and identity… it's still not the same as them. All relationships with peers… are just about status and interests.'
As his thoughts began to wander further, the sound of footsteps suddenly pulled him back to reality.
Kael glanced to the side.
He saw Edward walking toward him, followed by two servants and two soldiers behind him.
They did not come empty-handed.
The two servants carried trays with towels and clothes in black and blue. Meanwhile, the two soldiers carried containers of water still releasing steam, clearly hot water.
'Looks like it's time to clean myself…' Kael thought.
He observed them for a moment.
'But… how are they going to do it? The last time I was served, it was in a large bathing pool.'
Kael remained standing, waiting for them to approach.
"Greetings, Young Master," Edward said, followed by the four people behind him who immediately bowed.
Kael simply nodded, raising his hand slightly. He already knew what they were going to say.
Without another word, he turned and walked inside.
"Come in."
Edward paused briefly before stepping inside with the other four.
Inside, Kael sat beside the bed, doing nothing.
'I don't know what they're going to do… are they really going to clean me using those towels and warm water?' he thought, glancing at Edward who had just entered.
A hint of reluctance crossed his eyes, but he suppressed it. From the memories he had, this was normal for nobles. Refusing would only raise suspicion.
'I really can't wrap my head around this method.'
They stopped right in front of him. The two soldiers placed the containers on the ground.
Edward then checked the tray and its contents, followed by the water that would be used by his Young Master.
Actually, all of that could have been done beforehand. However, this was one of the rules, so the master could personally see that everything was safe.
After finding nothing suspicious, Edward nodded slightly and bowed. The two soldiers behind him did the same before leaving the tent.
Now, only Kael and the two female servants remained.
Kael looked at the two servants in front of him. Their faces remained professional, but their nervousness was still clearly visible from their slightly flushed cheeks.
'They seem to be new servants,' he thought.
Kael then stood up, which immediately startled them.
"Are you new servants?" he asked casually.
However, to the two female servants, that casual tone felt pressuring. They panicked. One of them immediately bowed, followed by the other.
"Y-Young Master, we're sorry!"
Kael frowned, confused by their reaction.
"Stand up. If you don't want to, then leave. I can do it myself."
Hearing that, their bodies trembled even more. They had clearly misunderstood.
"N-no, Young Master…"
They quickly stood up. One took a towel, while the other approached Kael nervously.
"W-we will do it."
'What's actually wrong with these two?' Kael thought, letting the servant remove his clothes.
*
Thirty minutes passed.
Kael had finished cleaning himself. His clothes still looked the same as before, though they were actually different. Only the colors and patterns were similar.
This time, however, there was an additional blue robe draping down to his feet.
The combination of black clothing and a blue robe gave him an elegant impression. Combined with his proportional build, his appearance looked even more imposing.
Beside him, the two female servants stood silently with their heads lowered, as if trying to hide their faces.
However, the redness at the tips of their ears was still clearly visible.
'Still too inexperienced. I haven't even done anything… yet they're already this nervous. If it goes further than this… forget it.'
Kael shook his head slightly.
"Alright, you can leave now. Call Edward to come in," Kael said calmly.
The two servants nodded. They bowed before leaving, carrying the buckets with the remaining water.
After they left, Kael walked to the table and sat down casually. Not long after, Edward entered and immediately stood beside him.
"Does the Young Master require anything?" he asked politely, slightly bowing.
Kael set down his cup, then glanced at his loyal guard. "How long until we arrive?"
"Around six days, Young Master," Edward answered without hesitation.
Kael touched his chin, thinking for a moment. His gaze fell back to the cup on the table.
'So almost a week… plus one day before. Quite far.'
He let out a soft breath.
'At the previous travel speed… around 40 kilometers per hour. If we travel about 10 hours a day… that means the distance is nearly 3,000 kilometers.'
The corner of his lips tightened slightly.
'Damn… they really threw me this far away from home.'
*
*
*