In a vast and boundless forest, the cry of a baby could be heard.
A lonely old man discovered the child beneath a tree.
The old man noticed that the baby was strangely glowing, as if mana itself was protecting the infant's body.
15 years later…
The baby who was once found in the forest was now sixteen years old. His name was Kaen Miller.
He was raised by the married couple Tomas Miller and Nysa Miller. Kaen had only one sibling, a younger sister named Elin Miller.
It was Tomas Miller who had found Kaen in the forest, but the couple continued to hide the truth about Kaen's origins. They told everyone that Kaen was their real son.
Kaen became extremely famous in their village because of his unusual appearance—fair and flawless skin, blue eyes, and an incredibly handsome face that made him look like a noble from the royal kingdom.
The story begins with Kaen walking peacefully through a dense forest.
As he walked, he suddenly stopped when he spotted a rabbit.
He quickly grabbed his spear—the same spear often used by his father, Tomas Miller, who hunted regularly and was once a knight of the kingdom.
Because Kaen was deeply focused on catching the rabbit, he was startled when everything around him seemed to slow down.
Taking advantage of this strange sensation, Kaen threw his spear and struck the rabbit perfectly.
"Alright! Finally, I caught dinner," Kaen said as he picked up the lifeless rabbit.
As Kaen walked back to the village holding the dead rabbit, he continued thinking about why the world seemed to slow down whenever he focused intensely—especially during combat.
He had experienced this many times, even while sparring with his father. Whenever Kaen became serious and focused, his father's movements appeared slower to him.
After several minutes of walking, Kaen arrived at the village.
As soon as he entered, he noticed the villagers—especially the women—staring at him.
Kaen suddenly stopped when he encountered his mother, Nysa, who was carrying a basket filled with vegetables.
When Nysa saw Kaen's dirty clothes and the dead rabbit in his hands, she immediately grew worried.
"Kaen, my child… where have you been? Look at how dirty you are. How many times have I told you not to go into the forest without your father?"
Kaen simply smiled.
"I'm already grown up, Mom. I can handle the monsters in the forest."
Hearing this, Nysa became annoyed.
"Don't be so confident, Kaen. Just because your father trained you in combat doesn't mean you're invincible. There are still orcs and goblins in the forest."
Hearing those words, Kaen froze and remembered a past event.
The past…
Kaen was only eight years old when he went hunting in the forest with his father.
Suddenly, a massive creature blocked their path. Kaen froze in fear when he saw an orc.
That moment deeply traumatized him.
Because of that trauma, Kaen now sought revenge, searching for orcs whenever he entered the forest.
However, he could no longer find any, as the imperial army had already wiped out the orcs and goblins in the forest.
Still, rumors continued to circulate that some orcs and goblins might have survived.
Kaen snapped out of his thoughts when he heard his mother's voice.
"Hey, Kaen! What are you thinking about? Come on, we're going home. Wash your hands properly once we get there."
Kaen looked at his hands and noticed they were covered in blood from the rabbit he was holding.
When they arrived home, they were greeted by Kaen's younger sister, Elin, who was fourteen years old—only two years younger than Kaen.
"Mom, let me carry the basket," Elin said as she took the basket of vegetables from Nysa.
"And you, Brother Kaen, help me cook—"
Elin suddenly stopped speaking when she noticed the dead rabbit in Kaen's hands.
Kaen smiled when he saw her reaction.
"Hehe, we have meat today. This will be delicious. Just put the vegetables aside—we'll eat them later."
Elin was overjoyed. She hadn't eaten meat in a long time because their father, Tomas Miller, had been away in the kingdom for months.
Without Tomas, Nysa refused to let Kaen hunt alone, and there were few meat sellers in their village.
That was why they mostly ate vegetables.
Because of this, Elin was extremely happy to finally eat meat again.
However, their mother was furious.
"Kaen! Don't you ever do that again. The forest is far too dangerous for someone your age. Don't underestimate it. I was once a mage, so I know exactly how dangerous orcs and goblins can be."
Hearing his mother's angry voice again, Kaen had no choice but to apologize.
"I'm sorry, Mom. I was wrong. It won't happen again."
Nysa calmed down slightly, and Kaen went inside the house to wash his hands.
Kaen noticed that one of their water barrels was empty, so he picked it up to refill it.
When he went outside, he saw Nysa and Elin skinning and cleaning the rabbit.
Nysa noticed Kaen holding the empty barrel.
"Kaen, where are you going now? We still have water in the other barrel."
Kaen smiled.
"It's fine, Mom. This way, you won't have to ask me to fetch water again later."
Nysa sighed.
"Alright, be careful."
Kaen smiled brightly.
"Yes, Mom."
Even though the barrel was heavy, Kaen carried it as if it were made of plastic.
He quickly reached the village well and began filling it with water.
Suddenly, he heard heavy footsteps.
Kaen saw a group of imperial knights passing through the village, escorting an elegant carriage pulled by two horses.
He ignored them and continued filling the barrel.
Once it was full, Kaen lifted it and headed home.
The villagers stared in shock as Kaen carried the heavy barrel with ease.
When Kaen returned home, he noticed a young woman inside their house.
It was Mira, helping Nysa and Elin cook the rabbit.
When Mira saw Kaen, she immediately approached him.
"Kaen, that's really heavy. Do you want me to help you?"
"No need, Mira. I can handle it," Kaen replied as he walked inside to place the barrel down.
After placing it down, Kaen turned around and saw Mira following him.
"Mira, do you need something?"
Mira frowned.
"Is that really all you're going to say, Kaen?"
Kaen looked confused.
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"Tch… nothing!" Mira said before storming out to help Nysa and Elin.
Kaen scratched his head in confusion.
"What's her problem now?"
He went into his room, sat on the floor, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath.
Slowly, Kaen began absorbing the mana in the surroundings.
After only a few minutes, Kaen suddenly felt dizzy.
When he opened his eyes, he realized his body was completely filled with mana.
Kaen was shocked.
As he grew older, his mana absorption speed kept increasing.
Most mages needed twelve to fifteen hours to fully replenish their mana.
Kaen immediately suppressed his mana, knowing how rare it was to control mana and become a mage.
Suddenly, he heard his mother's voice.
"Kaen, dinner is ready."
Kaen exited his room and saw Nysa, Elin, and Mira sitting at the table.
He noticed Mira glaring at him again, so he ignored her and began eating.
While eating, Elin suddenly spoke.
"Brother Kaen… I'm going to become a mage."
Kaen froze.
"W-What? A mage?"
Nysa nodded.
"Yes. Elin has developed mana storage, which means she can now absorb mana."
Elin grinned proudly.
"Hehe! I'm stronger than you now, Brother. Don't worry—if someone bullies you, just tell me and I'll protect you!"
Kaen felt annoyed by her arrogance.
After dinner, Kaen quietly left the house without telling his mother.
He walked out of the village, holding his spear, planning to head back into the forest.
As he was leaving, someone suddenly bumped into him.
Kaen didn't see the person's face, but he realized it was a woman.
Annoyed, Kaen grabbed her wrist.
"Hey! What's wrong with you? Why are you hiding your face? Are you running from something?"
Unable to resist, the woman pulled Kaen along with her.
Kaen didn't struggle and allowed himself to be dragged.
They ran into the forest.
When the woman realized no one was following them, she removed the cloth covering her body.
Kaen was stunned by the breathtaking beauty of the young woman before him.
Only then did Kaen realize—
The person standing in front of him was a princess.