***

The sole daughter of Cobham family, Shirley was flustered. It didn’t take a genius to notice it. Anyone could see her repeatedly opening and closing mouth without any words came out.

Basil who got nothing in response merely had a faint smile and sat uprightly in his seat. Shirley, who noticed her action late, quickly regained her composure and chose to remain silent. Even the Viscount and the Viscountess didn’t know how to react too.

Irene, who was watching it, had been flustered at first. However as soon as she saw the reaction of the three people, she smiled proudly at Basil.

An uncomfortable silence fell upon the dining room. The luxurious table, and the spacious room, made the silence felt even out of place.

“Kuhum. Why don’t we start our dinner first…?”

‘Then we can talk about Shirley’s achievement,’ was left unsaid. It was because Basil, without regards to any of them, graciously filled his plate. It was normal for nobles to know table manner.

However, his movement was on another level compared to anyone. He wasn’t slow and fairly quick in his move. However, rather than showing rush, he radiated elegance instead. It was eye-catching enough for the others to admire.

Basil was naturally thinking of it as nothing. Food isn’t meant to only fill one’s stomach. One needs to enjoy it too. That was his thoughts regarding the act of eating. However, in the past, he couldn’t stay idle. Therefore, he trained himself to enjoy his food without wasting his time.

Thus, Basil’s art of eating was born. Quick but elegant. Although it wasn’t as quick as in the past, he could improve the speed slowly. He hadn’t trained himself yet, therefore he couldn’t make his taste buds process all of those taste in the shortest amount of time yet.

“As everyone has already heard, Shirley is accepted to Woster Magic Academy. It is an academy that is run by the Kingdom’s Mage and undoubtedly the best academy in Woster Region. Congratulations, my daughter! I, along with your Mother, am very proud of you.”

“Congratulations, my daughter!”

“Thank you, Father, Mother.”

A conversation that happened only amongst them ensued. Apple doesn’t fall far from its tree. It was a childish display of favoritism and bragging, to the point that Basil didn’t even pay any attention to it.

He had thought that it had been because of his incompetence that they had behaved like that too in the past. However, he had been wrong. The reason was more complex than it seemed.

There was a reason why despite being a Cobham, he used Pacifer as his last name. It was his biological mother’s family name. He was adopted. Yet, even in the past he had only managed to figure out his mother’s name. He didn’t know who was his father.

He could understand the cold treatment of the Cobham. However, he didn’t understand why would they keep him. If he was a mere bother, it would be better to send him to the orphanage. However, they didn’t. Therefore, he couldn’t figure out what happened behind his adoption.

In this life though, he was determined to unveil it all. In his last life, he couldn’t find his mother’s family due to its untimely demise. Although, his lateness in knowing his mother also played a big role.

‘If she had remained silent until the end, I would have never known my mother.’

It was also thanks to ‘her’ that he got to know his mother’s name. It was also one of the last things she said before her untimely death.

Quickly getting rid of that thought, Basil clicked his tongue. He was living in the present, yet his mind was always in the past. Luckily, no one noticed his current behaviour. No one paid attention to him. All of them were busy talking among themselves.

Basil put his fork and knife down. They clashed against his plate, producing sound that flustered the three people. They quickly looked at him as if demanding explanation.

Basil looked at them calmly and said, “I want to take a leave from the academy for at least a week.” Surprise was evident on their face. However, before his so-called father could speak, he continued, “I also want to have a trip on my own. I ask of you for your permission.” He stared the Viscount straightly.

To say the Viscount was bewildered would be an understatement. He was extremely bewildered!

‘This brat! Just what happened to him?!’

The question wasn’t uttered. He couldn’t. The piercing gaze he received from Basil made him shut his mouth unconsciously.

He gulped. Basil didn’t exude any Mana or whatsoever. However, he felt pressured. How could he not? Basil had stared down the strongest Obelisk Master in his past life. No, scratch that! He had even stared down a suspicious omnipotent being!

He blinked at that thought. Somehow, he felt a prick behind his head. It was strange. However, he didn’t show it on his face.

“Okay…” was the best answer the Viscount could make. He added, “However, you wouldn’t be given any-”

“Thank you.”

He wasn’t given the chance to complete his sentence. Basil instantly nodded his head and stood from his seat.

“Wh-where are you going?”

The Viscount asked in surprise. Basil had only finished half of his food after all. He was never the type to waste food. However, at this moment, he had already lost his appetite.

‘There is no bad food, only bad companion.’

He wasn’t that hungry anyway. Practicing [Star Withering] energized him that he didn’t need to eat much.

“I am leaving right now.”

“R-right now?”

“Hm.”

This turn, it wasn’t the Viscount who asked him. It was Shirley, his so-called sister. He merely gave a short nod and prepared to leave.

“W-wait! Can you even travel at night?” Shirley asked him. A complicated look was on her face. At this, he merely glanced at her without turning his back and answered, “Although I don’t have much money, it’s enough to afford me a carriage, young lady.”

She shut her mouth instantly. Basil didn’t even check her reaction, he merely walked away and went to his room.

With a complicated look still adorned her face, she forced herself to sit down and bit her lower lip.

‘Darn! I haven’t bragged even yet!’

Turned out, Basil’s decision to leave early was correct.

“Kuhum. Let him be. He will know how hard it is to travel by himself, especially at night. He will be back by tomorrow and never leave by himself ever again.” The father said it with conviction. In return, the mother asked, “Will he be okay?”

It was curiosity. She didn’t worry about him. She was merely curious.

“Hm. He will be okay. With that head of his, he knows how to save himself.”

Basil’s intelligence was well known amongst the people who knew him. That was also the reason why despite his lack of progress in magic, he was never kicked out of the academy.

Although his so-called family didn’t like him much, they couldn’t deny his intelligence. That was why they never did something too excessive, despite giving him a hard time. They feared his intelligence. Who knew what could he do with that intelligence of his?

Of course, it was merely their thought. Basil didn’t have the time to plot against them. He planned to leave the house and searched for his real family soon. Therefore, he was on his quest to increase his power.

…

Outside of the mansion, two people stood. One of them was an elderly woman in chief-maid suit, and the other one was a young man with a black cloak. They were none other than Irene and Basil.

“Will you really be fine to travel by yourself, Young Master?”

Worry was evident in her voice. She wasn’t his mother, however she gave him the warmth of mother. His eyes softened as he answered her.

“I will be fine, Irene. You can put your trust in me.”

‘Don’t worry,’ was left unsaid. They didn’t need it. Irene naturally understood his meaning. She could see it in his eyes. His Young Master was full of confidence! Therefore, she could trust him.

“Then, I will be going.”

“Take care, Young Master.”

Basil merely nodded his head and turned his back. He put on his hood and gradually disappeared from Irene’s vision. It was already dark, so his black cloak made it seem like the night engulfed him.

Irene merely stood there unmoving for a quite some time. She sighed and then got back inside the Mansion.

Basil was watching this from a place where he couldn’t be noticed. With his experience, it was easy to hide his presence from anyone without an extremely keen sense.

He was doing this in case his so-called father put someone on his tail. Although he couldn’t sense any of them, it wasn’t hurt to be cautious. He got out of his hide and walked toward a completely different direction.

Although he said he could afford a carriage, he didn’t want to do it. He wanted to train the feeble body of his. So, he decided to travel by foot. His destination was Vyres Forest. It was the very forest where he could gather the herbs required to make Catalyst.

Although he didn’t need to form his Core, he still needed Catalyst. It could aid him in gathering Mana faster. This Mana would be used to cultivate his Mana Heart.

For one to be awakened, normally one needed a year of intense cultivation with a good technique. However, with [Heart Clenching], he could shorten the time. Of course, he had to endure the pain caused by it.

Therefore, he was determined to be awakened in a week. It was extremely hard, however it wasn’t impossible. The process would be painful for sure, however he wasn’t fazed. He was familiar with pain already.

‘Guide, what is the criteria of good Black Sandalwood?’

[The higher the quality of the Black Sandalwood, the less fragrance it exudes. The high quality Black Sandalwood had its bark completely isolated its fragrance from the outside. It is an instinctive defensive mechanism to prevent unwanted assault of from beasts…]

While running his way to the Vyres Forest, he was constantly asking the Guide regarding the ingredients he needed. Naturally, he wanted the best quality of them. Good ingredients produce good product.

No one would think that his mind was spinning at miles an hour. He looked calm and focused on his way on the surface. However, he was constantly engraving new knowledge into his mind everytime.

He didn’t utter his question loudly because of the inefficiency. He could say it in his mind, why would he bother to say it out loud? Moreover, what would people think if somehow they heard him speaking to himself?

He wasn’t so lonely to the point of speaking with oneself. He didn’t think soliloquy was counted as speaking to oneself. Because, whenever he did that, he was pondering something worth to ponder.

Just like that, his journey to power on his first day of returning to the past, now present, started.