The next morning
A black carriage with the Voss crest rolled into the massive iron gates of the castle.
At its helm were two pure black horses with silky smooth fur and beady red eyes, both of which were calmly controlled by a masked coachman.
Adding to the crisp morning air and rising sun, the carriage cast a long shadow, highlighting its elegance to anyone who saw it from afar.
And Damien, witnessing such a scene, was completely surprised
"Hahaha, Mum! Dad! You both are amazing! This carriage looks awesome!"
A new day had come, and walking toward the carriage with a pep in his step, Damien's face flushed with excitement
Despite the obvious danger, a deep part of his heart ad always yearned to explore this world which he only saw through the pages of a book
Now, after staying locked up for twelve years, how could he not be excited
Looking at the luxurious carriage, he ignored everyone and ran to a nearby horse, brushing his face against its silky smooth fur.
Unfortunately, before he could even begin to play with them, a familiar nagging voice came into his ears
"Young master, wait! Don't run away!"
"Also, stand back, you can't get your clothes dirty!"
Running behind him, Isabelle, in her maid costume, struggled to keep pace with her energetic young master
Luckily for her, she didn't need to carry any luggage as both their clothes and valuables were currently stored in the void crystal.
"Young master, please calm down. If the master and madam see you like this, they won't be happy!"
Struggling to stop Damien from climbing the horse, Isabelle felt like she was trying to pull a mountain
*Damn, how is the young master so strong at twelve years old!*
Cursing in her mind, Isabelle felt that the trip going forward was definitely going to be a long one.
Fortunately for her, just as both of them were having fun, a sly laugh came from behind them
"Hahah! Isabelle, it's fine. When I was a kid, I used to love horse riding a lot. Damien probably got it from me."
"And even if he gets hurt or dirty, isn't that normal for boys his age?"
"Back when I was twelve, I used to go into the forest to practice shadow magic every day. I remember how dirty my clothes were when I came back!" Laughed Theron
Walking toward them with a big smile, Theron and Elizabeth laughed as the scene before them
They both had smiles in their eyes as they watched their only son struggle to climb a horse with curiosity
"Isabell dear, it's fine, don't worry too much."
"And you, Damien, stop making Isabelle worry so much about you."
"Even though you may feel like she's nagging, she obviously cares for you a lot!" Said Elizabeth, hinting that Damien apologize
*Damn it! I got carried away. It seems this body of mine still has some childlike attributes* muttering to himself, Damien told himself that his behaviour just now was because of his childlike body, not that he had always secretly wanted to ride a horse, even back then on the blue star.
Now feeling his mother's intense gaze, he steadily came down before scratching the back of his head with a somewhat awkward smile on his face
"he he, sorry Isabelle, I was just a bit over excited, considering this is my first time outside and all"
Laughing nervously, Damien realized he had indeed been carried away due to his excitement.
Fortunately, Isabelle was not really angry; in fact, seeing her young master apologize to her, she suddenly felt her head get hot
If possible, steam could have started coming out of both her ears as she could barely process what was happening
"w-w-w-whatt! It's fine, young maste-r-r!"
"You don't need to apologize to me, I'm just a maid!" he said
However, for this her statement, no one said anything as they all just smiled. In the Voss family, no one treated her like a maid; rather, she was already family
In fact, Theron had once wanted to give her the Voss surname; unfortunately, the Elders didn't agree.
"Ha ha, alright! Since everything is settled, before you go, I have some final things to tell you."
Laughing loudly at the scene, Theron gave Damien a thumbs up with his left hand before continuing the speak
"Firstly, to go to the Elven forest or Elf empire, you need to go through the adventurer town of Silver-wood, it's about a two-day journey from here."
Taking out a map from his pocket, Theron handed it over to Damien.
"Once you get there, register in the adventurers' guild, which would help you move about in the empire if you don't want to expose the Voss family name."
"Once that's done, there's a teleportation center in the middle of the town."
"Teleport to the border town called Gravestone. The Elven forest is about a month north of there. I've already informed that Elf queen that you're coming, so once you get there, just show her the necklace I gave you."
Saying everything one by one, Theron looked at Damien with a smug smile, as if to say
'You think you might be smart, but I'm smarter.'
After all, he knew that his son would definitely not just go to the Elf empire; he probably had other places he wanted to visit and didn't want to be found out
So he purposely mentions the adventurers' guild to let him know that I know what you want to do, and I'll tell you how to do it
And Damien, seeing his father smiling like this, knew he had been found out.
*Sigh… are other regressors also born with parents as smart as these? Sometimes I even wonder if they've guessed my identity as a regressor*
Smiling wryly, Damien knew he had been found out.
Luckily for him, just before Theron could continue to rub it in, Elizabeth's voice interrupted both of them
"Alright, Alright, that's enough of that, let's not keep Damien waiting too long."
"Also, Damien, you see that masked coachman reigning in the horses, it's not a real person, it's a golem made using the latest dwarf technology."
"It already has the coordinates of Silver-wood and the Elf forest ingrained in it, so once you need to go to either of the two places, just let it know, it's voice-activated."
"For others, you might need to find someone skilled in driving carriages to help," She Said
Hearing this, Damien's left eyebrow unknowingly rose
*Is this the other-world version of self-driving cars?*
*However, considering those dawrves end up making gundams and mechas later, this isn't too outrageous*
Thinking this to himself, Damien just nodded, indicating he understood.
"Alright then, Mum, Dad, see you soon! I love you! And Dad! Don't worry! I'll find a way to cure your right hand! I promise!"
Waving to them, Damien didn't give them a chance to reply as he dragged Isabelle into the carriage with him
"wait!!!!!"
"Goodbye, Master! Goodbye Madam! I'll be sure to take care of the young master!"
Yelling out a quick goodbye, Isabelle, who was pulled into the carriage, also gave her final farewell.
Soon, the carriage began to move, and watching them both set forth, Theron and Elizabeth looked at each other and sighed
"That kid, huh. It seemed he also noticed my arm was getting worse." Clutching his right arm, Theron laughed as he wore a smile on his face
However, Elizabeth also smiled, but didn't reply; rather, she just gently punched him on his shoulder
"Alright, let's go, Now that Damien is gone, we can also begin to act"
"it's time to let this empire know, that the shadow can also devour the light" said Elizabeth
Hearing this, Theron nodded, his face turning deadly serious
Unknowingly the empire was about to usher in its biggest disaster in centuries.