Time soon passed, and inside the carriage, only the rhythmic clop of horse hooves on the dirt could faintly be heard.
On one end, Isabelle sat stiffly, her hands clasped together, gently clinching the sides of her maid dress.
"Young Master," she began, her voice barely a whisper. "Are you... are you sure this is alright? The Madam... she looked so worried this morning."
Different from the earlier confidence she had shown when they were leaving, as she tried to drag him down from the horse.
Isabelle, at this moment, was at a loss for what to do; after all, like Damien, this was also her first time going outside the mansion
Adding to the fact that she was just a regular person with no ability to defend herself, much less protect her young master, Isabelle felt that she might be a burden this trip
Thinking of this, mixed emotions such as anxiety and fear began to creep into her heart.
Luckily, when she was reaching her limit, a familiar, lazy voice made its way into her ears, instantly attracting her attention.
"My mother is always worried, Isabelle," he said, his tone casual. "Besides, my father has a plan. You heard him. This is all part of it."
Watching the familiar forests of his familiar domain become sparse as the journey continued, Damien's gaze never left the window as he spoke to Isabelle.
"Also, Isabelle, even though I'm not facing you right now, I can tell your thoughts."
"Do you really think you're a burden?"
"Do you think that my parents were wrong in sending their only son out alone like this with no entourage or security?"
Turning to face this maid of his who had been by his side ever since he was born, Damien's eyes were sharp, with the wind blowing his long silver hair back, and the sun reflecting his sky blue pupils.
Isabelle, shocked by the sudden scene, was at a loss for words
"Young Master…." she muttered
However, Damien did not give her a chance to reply; rather, his gaze turned towards the roof of the carriage and continued talking.
"Look at the items my father gave me: the tome with the house patriarch's secret technique, an escape medallion, and all those supplies."
"If it was just a trip to the elf forest and back, why do I need so much and such valuable things?"
"Think about it, Isabelle, do I really have to say more?"
*Boom!*
As soon as Damien said this, Isabelle suddenly felt her mind collapse
Looking at it logically, especially because the master had hinted that they hid their identities at the adventurers' guild, everything did indeed look like he was preparing for the family's downfall
*Impossible! The Voss family is one of the strongest families in the empire! There's no way something can happen to the master and madam!*
Muttering in her mind, Isabelle was truly shocked; however, what Damien said next truly left her stunned.
"Isabelle, we are weak! So weak that regardless of whether something is happening or not, we alone have no impact on the situation."
"Even look at Dad's hand, which had been sealed because of that demon god, forget about the pain and troubles it causes Dad every day."
"But really believe that his enemies, knowing that he only has one arm, would truly let him go? It's been a miracle we haven't even been attacked yet all these years."
Sighing helplessly, although Damien did not want to admit it but this was indeed the case.
Last night, while he was getting ready, he carefully analysed his family situation and realized that at this rate, they might end up being destroyed just like the original story
Because of that, he couldn't afford to waste any moment during this trip.
He had to hurry up and grow up, at least strong enough to save them from demise.
Knowing this, in Isabelle's stunned gaze, he silently brought up the system panel he hadn't used in years due to fear of being caught by any of those peeking Gods
"System Open!" he whispered
And sure enough, along with his command, a translucent blue screen appeared in front of him
[Name: Damien Voss
Age: 12 years old
Realm: Third Order Knight/Third Order Mage
Affiliation: Voss household
Innate abilities: Contract gems[unawakened], Dark magic affinity, Aura affinity
Skills: Basic sword skills, Basic Mana sense, Basic shadow magic
DP:1500]
Looking at the system, which was still as basic as ever, Damien had a slight smile on his face, unlike before, when he was one week old and his skills were high-level crying and high-level milk sucking.
At this point in time, twelve years later, he had started looking like a real powerhouse.
*Alright, since everything is alright, then let's begin*
Thinking in his mind, Damien looked deeply into Isabelle's eyes
"Isabelle! From now on, anything you see during this trip must stay only between you and me, not even my mum and dad must know about this!"
"However, don't worry, because I promise you, as long as you believe in me, nothing bad will happen to the Voss family, mom and dad."
"But then again, this is only on the premise that you believe in me!"
"So let me ask you one more time, will you believe in me, Isabelle, and keep whatever you see on this trip a secret?"
Stretching out his hand, Damien looked deep into Isabelle's green eyes.
If she even showed an ounce of hesitation, then he wouldn't go through with his next set of plans.
Fortunately, that wasn't the case, as seeing her young master acting so serious and mysterious, as a twelve-year-old, it was hard for him to maintain a strong presence
"Haha ~ forgive me for the earlier scene, young master, I was just a bit afraid."
"But yes, I believe in you. As ever since the Mistress assigned me to you on your birth, my life has long since been yours."
"So, young master, regardless of what you want to do, I promise not to say a word and help you fully."
"And if it can help the master and mistress be safe, then I am more than willing to lay my life on the ground."
Saying this, her face no longer contained any trace of fear or worry, but rather only determination to try and help.
And Damien, seeing this, finally relaxed his expression.
Now he had nothing to worry about anymore
"Alright then, system awaken contract gem ability, edit it, and scan Isabelle's condition," muttering under his breath, with excitement in his eyes, he ordered the system
Twelve years since he came to this world, and he was finally about to take off!